


If I lose myself tonight (will you be by my side?)

by crystals__99



Category: Legacies (TV 2018), The Originals (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 36
Words: 68,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23269330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystals__99/pseuds/crystals__99
Summary: Hope never went to the Salvatore School. She stayed in New Orleans with her family after her father’s and uncle’s sacrifice. Someone arrives in the city in need of her family’s help, but little did she know that the darkness she was going to face was also going to bring her love.The story is first centered on Josie’s problem with dark magic/Dark Josie and the Mikaelson’s enemies, set in New Orleans. At some point it will be set in Mystic Falls, with a new threat to come.
Relationships: Freya Mikaelson & Hope Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall & Hope Mikaelson & Klaus Mikaelson, Henrik Mikaelson & Rebekah Mikaelson, Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, Josie Saltzman & Lizzie Saltzman, Keelin Malraux/Freya Mikaelson, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 36
Kudos: 344





	1. Hiding in the shadows

The Salvatore Boarding school for young and gifted was a place that young supernatural teenagers learned to call home. It was also Josie’s home, except she kept feeling like an outsider most of the time. 

It’s not like she didn’t have any friends, she did, but maybe living in her sister’s shadow was big part of the problem. Sure she never did much to try to change it. She always puts her sister’s needs first. She worries about anyone and anything but herself. It was probably her biggest quality but also her worst flaw. She didn’t really care about what she wanted because as long as the people she cared about were happy, it was enough for her. 

For a while now she had started to do something that most surely her father would never approve. And Lizzie would probably judge her acquaintances as unpleasant and toxic, but she didn’t really care about what Lizzie think anymore. 

Since she started practicing black magic, something in her started to change. It’s like she wasn’t hiding in the shadows anymore, instead she was embracing those shadows little by little. 

Even the people closest to her, Alyssa and Penelope, started thinking that all of this was a bad idea. But Josie wanted to keep practicing against all their advices.  
Before the situation could get completely out of control Penelope decided to warn Alaric and Caroline about what was going on with her, despite the fact that she knew that Josie would hate her for it. 

Josie was coming out of her father’s office after a long talk. Penelope stared at her from the distance and could tell she was furious. To be honest she couldn’t tell if that was Josie or the deepest and darkest angry part of her, but she felt scared for a moment. Josie went straight to her and stopped just a few inches from Penelope’s face, with anger in her eyes. 

“You are a filthy spy. I hate you.”

“I did it for your own good Jojo. We can’t keep doing this and you know it.”

Josie let out a sarcastic laugh. “Just when I found something that was helping me grow and was not about my sister, you took it from me. This was the only thing that made me feel like I was in control, like I truly have power over me.” 

“Josie...it’s not you. It’s the black magic that has power over you.”

“Shut up!” then she lowed her voice down. “You were right about one thing though. We can’t keep doing this.” She turned around to leave but Penelope stopped her.

“Wait! Josie, this has nothing to do with us.”

“Oh but it does. You betrayed me. I bet you did it because you don’t even like me anymore. Wasn’t it you who wanted me to take care about me for once?”

She sighed. It pained her seeing her like this. She loved Josie but she knew that whatever thing she said wasn’t going to get through to her. She wasn’t herself anymore. “Not like this Jojo...not like this.” 

Josie seemed hurt for a moment, but then her look became though again. “Then we have nothing else to say to each other.” 

She turned her back on Penelope and went into her room. She spelled the door to remain closed and sat on the floor, bringing out the sand clock from her bag. She crossed her legs and placed her hands around it, closing her eyes and starting to siphon from it, little by little. 

The feeling of the dark magic passing through her was something that gave her strength but also blurred her clarity at the same time. She felt like her mind was changing. The things that she felt, the thoughts she had before all of this started, were all just turning into anger. While she was siphoning a vision appeared to her. 

She was in a cemetery. There were hundreds of people in a white tunic with a hood on their heads. She couldn’t see their faces, she could only hear them casting a spell.

“Vist aboli anima por eternum. Vist aboli anima por eternum. Vist aboli anima por eternum...” 

She felt herself starting to shred from the inside. She started screaming from the pain, asking them to stop. Just when the pain seemed to have become unbearable she was taken back into reality.

She opened her eyes and looked around her room as if to make sure she was really okay. She was breathing heavily and for the first time in a while she felt scared.  
She tried to put it together and went to talk to her mom before she could change her mind. Right now she felt clarity, so it was best to do the right thing for once.

“Mom?”

“Hey sweetie. What’s wrong?” 

She could tell by Josie’s face that she was upset. She wasn’t really good at hiding her emotions. “Fine. I’ll do what you want. Just..please help me.” 

Caroline looked at her with a sweet face and placed a hand on her cheek. “Of course I will honey. But in order to do that, we have to go somewhere. Some people I know that can help you.”

“Okay.” 

“Go to sleep now. We’ll be on our way tomorrow.”

Josie nodded and didn’t say anything more since she was feeling overwhelmed and tired, so she followed her mother’s instruction. 

Meanwhile Caroline’s face dropped as soon as Josie left the room. She was worried that all of this could escalate very badly and she didn’t want to. So she called the only person who would know everything about dark magic and could help her daughter deal with it. After a few rings they picked up.

“Freya, hi. It’s Caroline. I’m sorry to bother you, but I really need your help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies <333
> 
> I’m back with a new story. This time a bit different since it’s actually linked to the shows. It’s the first time I actually try to kinda follow a possible storyline (?), including the use of magic, spells, fight against enemies etc. But I was rewatching The Originals and this connection kinda hit me and I was curious to mix the two storylines together and also change it a bit.
> 
> I don’t know how long the story will be since it’s still a work in progress, but I hope it’s up to your expectations as always. Let me know what you think about it. Enjoy the first chapters <33


	2. What do people usually do here?

It was five in the morning when Hope was woken up by some noise. She groaned and sinked her face into the pillow. When the noise started to get stronger she rushed out of bed and looked out onto the entrance hall of the house and placed her hands on the railing. 

She sees her aunt Rebekah and her uncle Kol throwing punches and kicks at each other. The entrance was a mess. The coffee table shattered, glasses on the floor, the walls damaged. Before Rebekah could throw another punch at Kol, who she was holding back against the pillar, Hope screamed.

“Hey! Why not moving your morning training to the gym? So maybe people in here can actually sleep and we can also avoid the house falling apart?” 

Rebekah turned to look at her niece and left her hold on Kol to face her. “Don’t be silly love, this house is indestructible.” 

“As long as we compel the constructors to come and fix the damages every now and then.” Hope made an obvious point.

“Why don’t you join us love? Come on you could use more training.” Kol told her.

“I don’t think it would be good for you to have another woman kicking your ass right now.” Hope smirked at him while Kol had a hurt look on his face. Rebekah let out a proud smile. “She is a Mikaelson indeed.” 

At the same time Freya appeared from the living room into the entrance and looked up to Hope. 

“Hope, get dressed and come down to meet me when you’re done.”

“Okay aunt Freya.” 

She dressed up quickly and went down to get some breakfast. She sat at the table with Rebekah, Kol and Keelin and then stole some beignets from the tray.

“Where’s Marcel?” Hope asked with her mouth full.

“Out negotiating with those Travelers in the city. I told him that scaring them off would be better but he wouldn’t listen.”

“And by scaring them off you mean kill them.”

“Oh well you said it, not me.” 

Hope shook her head surrendering to her aunt’s violent ways. It’s not like she didn’t know that her family was famous for spilling blood no matter what. She just came to accept that, even though they really tried to do better because of her. Their precious niece. 

“Hope? I need you here with me today.” Freya entered the room and joined them at the table.

“Why? Aunt Davina and I were going to the cemetery. She wanted to try some spells together.”

“Tell her you won’t go. There’s a sort of emergency on the way.”

“Oh bloody hell, what now?” Rebekah drops her hands on the table looking at Freya.

“It’s Caroline. She needs help for one of her daughters.”

“Caroline? Why would she need your help?”

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out today.”

“And I should be here because...?” Hope asked with a fake oblivious face. Freya sighed and gave her the look she usually gives to people when they annoy her. And also when she scolds her. 

“Fine! You don’t need to bind me to your side, I’ll stay here.” 

“Wait, you did it again?” Keelin scolded Freya with a hint of anger. 

“She wanted to go on a date with that boy. I don’t trust him.”

“I gave her the idea.” Rebekah smiled proudly. 

“You two are unbelievable. You have to let the child breathe on her own. You can’t always make decisions for her.”

“Glad to have 2/6 of the family siding with me. Thank you auntie Keelin.” 

“Don’t be so dramatic. Your father would’ve done worse.” Hope smiled weakly to try to hide the pain of the thought of her father. Rebekah soon realized she should’ve not said that and looked at her as to apologize. But Hope shook her head to let her know it was okay, it didn’t matter. 

At the same time Freya got up to go to the entrance since someone was coming. Caroline and Josie were standing in the hall, looking around. 

“Hi Caroline.” Freya smiled nicely at her as Caroline did the same. 

“Hello Freya. Thank you for doing this.”

“Of course. I know how much my brother cared for you.” 

There was a moment of silence before Caroline thought of breaking it by introducing Josie to her. At the same time Hope appeared from the living room and her eyes focused on Josie first. 

“This is Josie.” 

Josie smiled shyly at Freya before moving her eyes on Hope, just noticing her behind the woman. They stared at each other for a few moments before Caroline could notice her. 

“Hello Hope. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Same.” 

Hope didn’t really know how to talk or react around her father’s former lover to be honest. But luckily her aunt broke the silence and invited them upstairs into her studio to talk.   
While Caroline and Josie took place on the couch, Hope was standing beside her aunt Freya who was sitting on the chair. 

“How did you get the mora miserium in the first place?” Freya asked Josie.

“There was this guy...he’s not even from the school. I just met him a few times and he started talking about this great source of power and I just...I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to prove something.”

Her eyes met Hope’s who was paying attention to her. The she looked down at her hands feeling ashamed of screwing up and being the center of attention. 

“Freya is there something you can do?” 

“I need time to look into it. It shouldn’t be hard trying to contain it but I have to figure out how to free her from its influence.”

“Aunt Freya I don’t think that’s the only problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“Vincent once told me that the dark object containing this kind of magic eventually degrade over time. This means it will break if we don’t control it. And since she already has parts of that magic into her, it’s inevitable that it will find place there.” 

“Where did you even learn all this?” 

“Vincent is teaching me about Cami’s dark objects.” 

Both Freya and Caroline were stunned. “I guess you are a precious source then.” 

Hope smiled awkwardly at Caroline before Freya could speak again.

“Alright. I’ll spell the sand clock in order to reinforce it until we can figure out how to fix you and keep all the dark magic at one place.” Josie nodded. 

“Hope, why don’t you show her her room while I talk to Caroline for a moment?” 

“Um..sure.” She looked at Josie and smiled kindly. “Come.” 

When they entered the room Josie started looking around for a while before Hope decided to break the silence. 

“This is the farthest room from the rest of the house. Which is a privilege really. At least you won’t hear my family screaming and training first thing in the morning.” 

Josie smiled lightly. “That’s good to know.” 

Hope kept staring at her trying to catch something about this girl. The only time she saw her was when her father asked Caroline for help when she was possessed by the Hollow. But they were children and didn’t really talk back then. Right now she was a stranger for all she knew. But she wanted to get to know her so that she could really help her. 

“You’re agitated.” 

Josie suddenly looked at her feeling abruptly exposed. But Hope tried to explain and make her feel comfortable. 

“I can sense it.” 

“It’s not every day that you risk to become a dark witch for your foolish reasons.” 

“I’m sure they’re valid. I mean, not the siphoning-dark-magic part, but I’m sure you had your reasons to act like you did.”

Josie felt this weird feeling of easiness and understanding talking to Hope. She was the first person to just assume that she might have had her good reasons despite the bad consequences, while every other person until now had just scolded her about how wrong that was without even caring about the why. 

“You’re the first person to say that.” 

She chuckled nervously, still trying to avoid eye contact. But then she met Hope’s eyes again. This time she was smiling at her. Josie did the same.   
When Hope was about to leave the room, Josie stopped her. 

“Wait.” Hope turned around to face her again. “What do people usually do here in New Orleans?” 

Hope smiled again and thought about it for a moment. “Come with me.”


	3. At a corner café

While Freya and Caroline were still discussing about what to do, Hope thought it was best to take Josie for a walk around the city. She thought that the brunette could probably use some distraction and normality between all of this crazy situation. So they started walking around the French quarter that was teeming with people.

“This is the main street. We can see it from the studio’s balcony where we were before.” 

“It’s so..vibrant. Alive.” Josie smiled looking around her, almost feeling happy.

Hope chuckled. “Sure, to put it in a funny way. Most of the citizens are whether witches or vampires, the humans are mostly tourists and food for the vampires.”

Suddenly Josie’s expression changed in horror. “Do they kill every tourist?”

“No of course not. They know they have to behave. Marcel makes sure of that.” 

They kept walking in silence until Hope spoke again. “This is Rousseau’s. It’s the most famous bar here. But also, anti magic.” 

“Huh, nice.”

“Many of the stores here are clocked for the humans. Look there. You see? That’s a witch store. And there...is the bar for only vampires. Mostly Marcel’s guys.” 

“This is so..wow. Mystic falls doesn’t even have all of this. There aren’t even much vampires these days, except for our school. The sheriff of the city made sure of it.” 

“Well that’s a shame. Or maybe not, I mean at least you don’t have much supernatural problems.”

They arrived at a café corner that looked like a nice garden with lots of white tables, just in the middle of a city. Hope invites her to sit down and Josie does so. When they’re finally face to face Josie still tries to look everywhere but Hope. Hope was too smart not to notice. 

“You know, you don’t have to fear me judging you or get you the third degree. I’m not that nosy.” 

Josie smiled softly and finally looked at her. “Sorry. I’m not that good at this.” 

“It’s okay. I get it actually. The last time a powerful magic took over me...I wanted to control it. I tried to be strong and make it look like I could handle it. I did it for my father. But..” This time she was the one looking away. Josie kept looking at her. 

“I’m so sorry for what we did to him, Hope.” 

Hope frowned a little and met Josie’s gaze. “You and Lizzie were just trying to help. It’s what he asked you to do. It’s not your fault.”

“I know but I can’t help but think that if we didn’t do what we did, he would still be here someway.”

Hope smiled softly. She didn’t feel sad about what Josie said, she was touched because from this she could tell how sweet and kind she actually was, despite the dark magic in her. 

“Stop blaming yourself for that Josie. You shouldn’t have to carry burdens that are not yours to take.” 

“But you are.” 

Hope’s face tightened for a moment. Josie felt bad for upsetting her this way. 

“Sorry. It’s not my place. I’m sorry.”

“No um..it’s okay.” She sighed and looked at the brunette, nodding. “You’re right. But because it is my burden to carry. I’m the one responsible for this.” 

Josie shook her head lightly and almost whispered. “No you’re not, Hope.” 

Hope stared at her for a while as Josie did the same. She got lost in those eyes that carried so much guilt and pain. Josie could see it now. Just as Hope could see the struggle in Josie’s eyes. It took just this moment to make them realize the battles they had inside of them, with themselves. 

Hope tried to break the intense staring moment changing the subject. 

“You should try the Espresso here. It’s the best thing of this place.” 

“I don’t really drink coffee. But I’ll take a milkshake.” 

“Alright.” 

While Hope looked down the menu Josie thought whether or not sharing with Hope why she did what she did. It’s not like she had to, Hope made it clear. But at the same time she felt the need to talk to someone and Hope seemed open to listen and understand her without letting her feel ashamed or bad. 

“I wanted to prove something.” Hope raised her eyes to pay attention at the brunette. “To everyone. To my family. I was...just tired of feeling weak. And constantly being codependent by my sister. I wanted something that allowed me to be my own person.”

“But you are your own person Josie.” She paused and then continued. “I don’t know how is it to have a twin sister, but if Lizzie manages to live according to her own needs, why shouldn’t you? Your family would never want you to put yourself aside in order to take care of them.” 

“Well, it’s what I do. I can’t help it.”

“You’ll see it with time. Right now you’re already doing something for yourself.“ 

“I guess that’s true.” 

Hope smiled tenderly as Josie did the same. 

“Come on. Let me show you something.” 

They walked for a while, getting farther and farther from the quarter, until they arrived in front of the city cemetery. 

“Is this another fascinating place for the tourists to visit?”

Hope chuckled amused. “Not for them. Here lies all the magic of the city. It’s where the ancestors are buried.” 

As they were moving further inside the cemetery Josie started feeling agitated, like her magic was taking over her. She suddenly stopped between two tombstones. That part of the cemetery looked familiar. She started breathing heavily and put her hand on her chest. Flashbacks appeared into her mind.

She was being held by a man, he was pointing a knife to her throat. Then she saw a woman pointing a dark object at her, casting a spell. Suddenly she could see herself screaming in pain, trying to fight the magic. Then a white light. 

Then she was brought back to reality. Hope had her hands on both of her arms, trying to shake her from whatever trance she was in. She was calling Josie’s name and had a worried look on her face. Josie met her eyes, trying to calm down her breathing.

“What happened?”

“I..this place. I had a vision once and now I recognized it. Someone was trying to kill me. Here.” 

Hope’s eyes widened and suddenly she was more concerned than she was before. 

“Let’s go find my aunt Davina. She’ll know what to do.” 

When they entered the sanctuary where Davina usually went to practice her magic, they found her kneeling on the ground, lighted candles in front of her. She was focused with her eyes closed, but then she felt the presence of someone there with her. 

“Hope, hi. I thought you weren’t coming anymore.”

“Yeah but we kinda have a situation here.”

Davina glanced at the girl on Hope’s side, figuring she was the situation she was referring to.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Josie.”

“She’s a friend. Aunt Freya and I are trying to figure out a way to free her from dark magic. She siphoned it from the mora miserium.” 

Davina seemed impressed. “You’re a siphoner. I’ve never met someone like you before.” She looked at her almost in admiration.

“She had a vision. She was here and some witch was trying to kill her. Do you know what this could mean?” 

“It must be the dark magic showing what will be the consequences of her actions.” 

“But if she stops siphoning the magic this shouldn’t happen, right?”

“Not exactly. She already has dark magic in her. It’s inevitable that she will try to take more of it, until she takes it all.” 

Josie looked at both of them as if she was caught doing something bad, except she didn’t want to. Or at least she hoped she wouldn’t. 

“I don’t know if that is what’s going to happen but I have this..moments, where I feel the need to siphon from it.”

“That’s what I meant.” 

Hope sighed. “So what do we do?”

“I can try a spell and see if I can see what she saw in her vision. It might be a prophecy.” 

Hope looked at Josie as if to make sure she wanted to do this. Josie nodded. “Yes. Let’s do this.” 

Davina took some of Josie’s blood cutting her palm and then sat down to cast the spell. 

“No mentre la prophecie que la veo le otra ve...No mentre la prophecie que la veo le otra ve... No mentre la prophecie que la veo le otra ve...”

Suddenly she started seeing what Josie saw in her visions. The image focusing on Josie’s dark eyes. It all went fast.

When Davina opened her eyes they were wide and scared by what she saw. 

“There’s this man..and the ancestors. They want to kill her.” 

“The ancestors? But why?” 

“Honestly? I don’t know.”


	4. Hello gentlemen

The following days were spent amongst researches to try to find a solution. Josie was managing her need to siphon the dark magic, and fortunately Freya had cloaked the sand clock so that Josie couldn’t find it or even feel its magic reaching for her. 

Hope was doing her part too. With Vincent she tried to find between all Cami’s dark objects something that could help them.   
She was doing her best to help Josie because she didn’t want her go through everything she did. She couldn’t allow it and she knew that Josie didn’t deserve any of this.

She was in the hall of the compound training with her aunt Rebekah. While Rebekah tried to throw a punch at her Hope took her fist into her palm and twisted Rebekah’s arm behind her back.   
Rebekah reacts freeing herself with a twirl and raises her leg to kick Hope in her right hip. 

Hope bends in two for the pain but quickly reacts attacking her again, slipping on the floor to make Rebekah fall, but she was fast to react and make a high vampire jump, just to land on Hope’s back. 

Hope turned to look at her frustrated and whispered a spell to react.

“Ventus.”

Suddenly Rebekah flew from the centre of the hall to the pillar, bumping into it and then falling on the ground, the pillar shattered. She looked at Hope breathing heavily.

“I told you not to use magic when we train.”

“You were annoying me.” 

“You like taking the easy way out.” 

“That’s not true.” 

“It sure is.” 

They didn’t notice that Josie had been looking at them from upstairs for the last two minutes until Rebekah raised her head to look at her.

“Good morning love, did we wake you up?”

“Not at all. I didn’t hear a thing.”

Hope took a sip of water and then looked at her, still catching her breath. She smiled tenderly causing Josie to smile back. 

“Alright. I’ll leave you two to your witches business. I’ll go find Marcel.” 

Meanwhile Josie saw Hope suddenly disappear with a jump and then reappear next to her upstairs, scaring her.

“Jesus Hope, couldn’t you just take the stairs?” 

Hope chuckled amused. “You heard her. I like the easy way.” 

Josie smiled and shook her head in surrender. 

“My aunt might have found a solution.”

“A permanent one?”

“I don’t really know. Let’s go talk to her so she can explain to you.”

When they went to find Freya, Josie suddenly backed away seeing the sand clock on the table. Hope and Freya both noticed and Freya quickly put it away.

“Sorry. I was trying something. You can come in.” 

“What did you found?” Hope asked.

“So, there’s a spell that should reverse the effect of the dark magic bringing out your dark side. It’s mostly a herbal remedy. You have to take it twice a day in order for it to work. This should keep you under control for a while.” 

“Thank you. Truly.” 

“Don’t even say it. I’m sure we will find a more permanent solution.” 

“This is more than I could’ve hoped to be honest, so thanks.” 

Freya smiled at her and before she could dismiss them Marcel entered the room, a serious look on his face.

“We might have a problem.”

Freya frowned. “What’s wrong?” 

“I’ve found five of my guys dead on a corner of the street. Now I’ve talked to the witches and they said they have nothing do to with it.” 

“Keelin is with the wolves for the full moon, I doubt they have something to do with it.”

“I know for sure it wasn’t them. Because the weirdest thing is that they were desiccated. Just like that. No hearts ripped out, no bites, nothing. Just desiccated.” 

“Only a witch can do that. Are you sure there’s no one in the coven who’s betraying the alliance?” Hope asked him.

“Vincent assured me of that.”

“Then we don’t know what we’re up against.” 

In the afternoon Josie was in her room playing her ukulele. The sun passed through the balcony, showing a beautiful sunset. Josie breathed heavily and smiled at herself. Then her phone started ringing and she suddenly tensed. Penelope’s name was on the screen, but she didn’t hesitate to pick up.

“Hi Penny.”

“Hey. How are you?”

“I’m good. They’re..taking good care of me.” 

“I’m glad they are.” There was silence for a moment on both end of the lines. Then Penelope spoke again.

“I miss you.” 

Josie kept silent for a moment. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t really know what she really felt to be honest. Her feelings where confused and sometimes corrupted. She couldn’t tell what was hers and what was her dark side. 

“I miss you too.” 

“You didn’t mean what you said before you left, did you?”

Josie sighed heavily, unsure of what to say. “Penny..”

“I’m sorry Jojo, you know I was just trying to protect you.”

“I know.”

“I love you.”

Meanwhile Hope was on the other side of the room, eavesdropping Josie’s conversation. At the same moment Rebekah passed by and stopped looking at her with her arms crossed. 

“What are you doing here?”

Hope jumped, feeling busted. “I..nothing. I was going to tell her dinner’s ready.”

“No. You were eavesdropping her conversation.” 

“No I wasn’t.” She spitted out almost offended by her aunt’s accusation.

“Hope. What’s about this girl?”

Hope tried to say something but she didn’t really know what to say to be honest. 

“I’m just...worried. I went through the same thing. I feel bad for her.”

Rebekah nodded, still not buying it though. “Right. Well, this is still wrong.” She smiled devilishly and left. Hope sighed in frustration. 

Meanwhile Josie opened the door finding Hope standing there. She jumped back and looked at her questioningly. “Hope? Can I help you?”

“Um..yeah. Sorry. I wasn’t eavesdropping, I swear. I was just coming to tell you dinner’s ready.”

Josie chuckled amused at Hope’s distress. “Relax Hope, I didn’t even assume that. But now that you said it..”

Hope’s eyes widened and she quickly tried to deny it. “No, Jo..” 

“It’s fine Hope. Just let’s go eat. I’m starving.” She kept smiling amused as she walked downstairs while Hope slowly followed her, keeping her distance. 

When it was late at night and everyone were already asleep, Josie opened her eyes. They went suddenly black. She got up and got dressed, leaving the house and walking silently down the street. She kept humming a tune and looking around her. She thought she was alone until she was stopped by three vampires standing before her. 

“Oh hello there. Can I help you three gentlemen?”

“What are you doing here witch? This is not your territory.”

“I’m sorry, am I trespassing?” She let out a wicked laugh and then went serious again. Without even give them time to react she placed her hands on two of them and started siphoning them. After a few seconds they were desiccated on the ground. 

Her eyes moved to the third vampire who already had his teeth ready to bite her, but Josie preceded him and casted a spell.

“Delfan eoten cor.” 

The vampire started gasping and fighting to keep his heart in his chest but it was quickly coming out. Once his heart was on the ground he quickly desiccated and fell dead on the street. Josie looked around to see if someone was there, then sighed satisfied.

“I don’t see a non-trespassing sign.” 

And she walked careless past their dead bodies.


	5. Blackouts

Two weeks passed and Josie’s episodes were still frequent. No one knew of course. Probably not even Josie. Meanwhile the Mikaelson family was trying to deal with these mysterious deaths, since the vampires of the city were intentioned to spill witches blood. 

A war was the last thing they needed, so they had to find out who was responsible and quickly. 

Marcel was walking down the quarter when he noticed a long black car stopping at the other side of the road. A white man with curly air and a suit stepped out and was moving on the sideway. 

He reached him with his vampire speed, blocking his way and smiling at him forcefully. 

“I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Marcel.” 

The man smiled nicely and held Marcel’s hand. 

“Clarke. Ryan Clarke.”

“To what do we owe your visit here in New Orleans?” 

“Oh just witch business. Nothing you have to worry about, Marcel.” 

“Oh but you see, we’ve been having quite the problems lately between witches and vampires. I wouldn’t want something else to worsen it.”

“I’m not here to harm your precious species Marcel. You don’t have to worry.” 

Marcel smiled at him again, making him believe he was falling for it. But he obviously didn’t trust him. 

Meanwhile Hope, Freya and Davina were at the cemetery studying for a way to trap the black magic somewhere permanent. 

Josie was home alone, at least she thought so. She started wandering around the house since it was so big and didn’t see any of it beside her room and the living room. Yes, she was basically sneaking around to peek. 

When she walked in Freya’s studio she noticed a few paintings signed Klaus Mikaelson. They were beautiful, she thought. She wondered if Hope was as talented as her father.  
Then she started looking on the shelves, looking for anything who could intrigue her. 

Suddenly she stopped and closed her eyes sensing a strong magic reaching for her. She knew what it was, but to be honest she didn’t even try to fight it back. Her clarity was blurred right now. 

She looked at the wall to her right since she felt the strong magic coming from there. She studied the painting hanging on the wall and then removed it, revealing the giant hole in the wall with the sand clock hidden in it. 

Josie’s eyes instantly went dark and she smiled devilishly. She was about to place her hands on the sand clock when she heard someone was coming in.  
She quickly put the painting back up and sat on the couch as if nothing happened. 

Suddenly Hope and Freya entered the room. They were surprised to see her there.

“Josie. What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you.” She told Hope. 

“Oh. Sorry I..I’m here now. What do you need?” 

She tried to think about what she wanted to ask her but she really couldn’t tell what it was. She looked at Hope confused.

“I..I don’t know actually.”

Freya looked at her suspiciously. Then she glanced at Hope and back at Josie.

“Josie...are you having like..blackouts?”

“I..I don’t know.” She was honestly confused. Then she started to get scared and looked at Hope agitated. “Hope, what’s happening to me?” 

Hope quickly went to her and kneeled down to take her hands in hers. “Hey, nothing’s going to happen to you. We’re stopping it now, whatever this is. Okay?” 

Josie stared at her and nodded, forcing herself to trust they would.

Later that night Josie was in her room alone. Meanwhile Hope was talking to Freya and Marcel about Josie’s weird behavior.

“I think she might be the one responsible for the attacks on the vampires.” Freya told them.

“But how? You were giving her the herbs. She seems to react just fine to that.”

“It’s dark magic Hope. It can trick you into believing anything. She doesn’t do it on purpose, it’s when she loses control and the dark side takes over that it happens.” 

“So you say we should keep an eye on her at night.”

“At least tonight. To prove my theory. If it’s like I think, we must react as soon as we can. She can’t go like this any longer.” 

“Okay. I’ll stay with her tonight.” Hope said without hesitating.

“Alright, but I’m staying on guard in case she might try to hurt you to escape.” Marcel said. 

After their talk Hope went to knock at Josie’s door. She was on the bed playing her ukulele. Hope smiled softly as Josie did the same, even though she forced it. She still felt scared and guilty about what was going on.

Hope sat down on the bed beside her and sighed. “Do you mind if I stay here with you tonight?” 

Josie smiled weakly. “They put you on guard duty, didn’t they?” 

“I offered. And you’re not a prisoner. It’s just a precaution, in case your blackouts mean something more that we should know.”

“Hope..” Josie looked her straight in the eyes. Hope could see and feel her pain and fear. Her heart broke for a moment. “Do you think I did all of that?” 

“Even if you did, it wasn’t really you. I know you wouldn’t be capable of actually hurting someone.” 

“What if I am?” 

Hope looked at her for a moment. Then smiled. Josie looked at her confused.

“You’re a very good person Josie. You’re kind and you’re strong, not because of the dark magic. You already were before. I’m just sorry you didn’t see it by yourself.” 

Josie stared at her with her mouth half open. For a moment her eyes glanced at her lips and Hope noticed. She let out a shaky breath, feeling like she just missed a beat just thinking about the possibility of Josie leaning in to kiss her. 

But she didn’t. Instead she took her ukulele and started to play and then singing along the melody.  
Hope looked at her enchanted. She wondered how was it possible that someone like Josie could have a darkness inside of her. But that’s what darkness does, it takes the best people and turns them into weapons. 

Later that night Josie was sleeping while Hope was sitting on the chair reading a book and watching over her. This was until she felt Josie gasping and then wake up scared. She quickly rushed next to her.

“Hey. It’s okay. It was just a bad dream.” 

“They..they want to use me. Hope..”

“Who?”

“The ancestors. They want to use me for something they need.” 

“Look at me.” She took Josie’s face in her hands to make her look at her. “No one will even come closer to you. I’m not allowing it.” 

Although Josie was still gasping for air, her eyes went down to Hope’s lips and before Hope could even realize, Josie was kissing her gently. After a first moment of surprise, Hope melted into the kiss and kissed her back. When Josie pulled away Hope was still in shock, while Josie seemed still upset. Maybe even more. She closed her eyes and bowed her head down.

“Josie? Are you okay?” 

After a moment Josie was looking at Hope again, except her eyes were fully dark. With just a hint of her head she put Hope to sleep. 

“I am now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> side note: in the story Ryan Clarke is a siphoner witch who belonged to the Gemini coven. His twin brother was actually Landon and Ryan won the merge.


	6. I thought you had a girlfriend

When Hope woke up she felt disoriented at first, but then she remembered what had happened. She quickly went down to look for Marcel or her aunt. 

“Marcel!” 

“He’s not here. He went after Josie. My theory was right. Davina is with him but I think you should go too.” 

“But what do we do?” 

“The only thing we can do right now. We put her to sleep.” 

Meanwhile Marcel was trying to talk some sense into Josie, but how do you talk to a devil inside you? 

“What is it that you want?” 

“Me? Nothing. I’m just living my best life. This girl needed an awakening. I gave her that. I am Josie. Maybe her worst parts. Or her best ones, it depends from the points of view.” She laughed amused. 

“I suggest you find another body to live your best life.” Hope suddenly arrived capturing her attention. Josie, or well, Dark-Josie, groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Not you again. This girl is so soft for you, it’s nauseating. Good thing I’m here to avoid further problems.” She stopped for a moment before casting a spell to Hope. “Incendia!” 

Luckily she missed Hope who managed to avoid it. Before Josie could react any further, Freya and Davina casted the spell to make her fall asleep. Suddenly Josie’s body abandoned itself but Hope was quick enough to catch her. 

“Let’s get you home.” 

Five days later they were making no progress. The only thing Hope managed to come up with was a spelled talisman who was supposed to keep the dark magic at bay. She knew her aunt told her that Josie should keep staying asleep until they could find a solution, but she didn’t think it was right. She decided to reverse the spell and bring her back and deal with her aunt later.

She waited nervously for Josie to open her eyes, hoping she would see the real Josie.  
When she opened her eyes and Hope saw that it was actually her, she couldn’t help but sigh in relief, while Josie looked around her in confusion. Hope smiled and tried to reassure her.

“It’s okay. You were just asleep for a few days. You’re safe.”

“Why..what did I do?”

“Nothing we couldn’t manage to stop.” 

Josie sighed and closed her eyes trying to remember everything that happened, obviously failing. 

“The last thing I remember is..that I had a nightmare.”

Hope tensed for a moment. She couldn’t help but feel hurt because she didn’t remember what happened next, meaning that probably it wasn’t the real Josie who kissed her.

“Um...yeah, you did.” 

“Then..” She kept forcing herself to remember. 

“It’s okay Jo, it probably takes some time.”

“I kissed you.” She glanced at Hope with wide eyes. Suddenly her face softened, while Hope felt her heart racing in her chest. 

“Um yeah..that too.” 

Josie smiled amused. “You thought I wouldn’t remember.” 

“Well it was...possible?”

“No it wasn’t. It was me, Hope. I kissed you. Not the other part.” 

Hope tried to hide a smile in vain, but Josie noticed. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Josie apologized at first, fearing that Hope might feel awkward about it.

“You didn’t?”

“No I mean..I did. But if you didn’t..”

“Then you didn’t..mean to?”

Josie groaned and ran a hand through her hair.

“Hope! My head hurts and I can’t do this right now. I wanted to kiss you. I’m not sorry that I did.” 

“Oh well, good. Because I don’t mind.” 

Hope smirked at her while Josie bursted into laughter and then sighed heavily. “I didn’t know if you were upset about it or not.” 

“I’m not.”

“Good.”

“But..I thought you had a girlfriend.”

“Who told you I had a girlfriend?”

Hope suddenly wanted to cut her tongue off. Josie quickly connected the dots and Hope noticed she had busted her. 

“So you were eavesdropping.”

“I really didn’t mean to.” 

“Well apparently you even suck at that. Because you missed the part where I told her it was best for us to end it there.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh’.” 

Hope slapped her on the hand while Josie chuckled amused. After sharing a few glances at Hope, she noticed the necklace around her neck. 

“What’s this?”

“It’s a talisman I spelled. It should keep your magic at bay.”

“Thank you. Any progress?”

“Not yet.” 

Josie nodded in understanding. 

“It’s okay. As long as I’m under your watch I’m sure I can manage this.”

“Really?” Hope smirked at her. 

“I trust you Hope. I could never trust anyone as I do with you.” 

Hope looked at her softly as Josie did the same, reaching for her hand gently.

Meanwhile in the cemetery Ryan Clarke was waiting for someone to arrive. 

“Ryan Clarke. We finally meet.” 

“Kara Nguyen. The pleasure is all mine.” 

“We should define the points of our alliance. Because I feel like the ancestors won’t be pleased with so little retribution.”

“Killing the nieces of Kai Parker isn’t enough for you?”

“The ancestors of New Orleans are not interested in the Gemini Coven. We want to make sure of the end of the Mikaelsons once and for all. And in order to do that we need to give you an ally.” 

“What are you talking about? I don’t need allies. I just want the Saltzman twins dead!” 

“And we want the Mikaelsons dead. And the only way to do it, is if you work with him.”

A man appeared from the corner with an evil smile on his face. 

“Let me introduce you to Lucien Castle. Long lost enemy of the Mikaelsons. He almost destroyed them once. We’ll make sure he can do that again. This time permanently.”

“Fine. I’ll work with the family murderer here. But I need you to keep your word. You will destroy her, right?”

“Of course. But you seem to forget something. The other twin. What are you going to do about her?” 

“I’m taking care of her right now. In fact, if you’ll excuse me, I have a siphoner to murder.” 

Meanwhile at the Mikaelson house everyone where enjoying the evening in the hall. Kol and Rebekah mostly poking each other, while Freya, Keelin and Davina were clearly whispering about something they didn’t want Josie to hear. Hope looked over at Josie sitting on the couch alone and decided to bring her a cup of hot cocoa. 

“Here. Take this.”

Josie’s face light up and smiled softly at Hope. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” She sat next to her and followed Josie’s gaze.

“They’re not good at hiding it.”

“Sorry.”

“Oh it’s okay. I’m actually flattered to be their top concern these days. I’ve never been that for anyone until now.” 

“You surely were unproblematic before.”

Josie looked at her offended at first, wanting to debate, but then she let it go. 

“Fine. I can’t argue about that.” 

Hope chuckled and took a sip from her cup.

“Why didn’t you come to Mystic Falls? I know that your father helped founding the school. And both of your parents wanted you to go.” 

“I tried to. But...this is my home. My family’s home. And after I lost them I..” she paused and then looked at Josie. “I didn’t want to be apart from the only family I had left.” 

“I get it. I mean for what you’ve been through, I probably would’ve done the same.” 

They got lost in each other’s eyes for a moment, until Josie broke contact to yawn and place her cup on the table.

“Wow. I must bore you that much.”

“Don’t be stupid. I’m just tired.”

“You literally slept for five days.”

“Well maybe it’s a side effect? Stop judging.” Josie got up to go to her room and suddenly Hope did the same. 

“Where are you going?”

“I’m coming with you.”

“You don’t have to keep an eye on me anymore.”

“I’m sorry but I’m not taking chances.” 

Josie surrendered and smiled. “Fine. If you have that much fun watching me sleep. Be my guest.” 

“Thank you very much.” 

“You could lay down though, I don’t bite.”

“I’m not taking that chance either.” 

While they walked upstairs to Josie’s room Kol and Rebekah were standing with their arms crossed next to each other, watching the girls together and eavesdropping their conversation. 

“Do you think they kissed already?” Kol asked.

“They definitely did.” 

“Hey! You’re doing that again!” Keelin screamed at them.

“Why do you even keep trying love?! We’re not minding our business! We don’t know how to do that.” 

“How are you the least annoying Mikaelson?” Keelin asked Freya. 

“I’m the first born. The best is all in me.” 

“You wish, sister.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heads up: the story has many the originals vibes. probably even more than legacies 🙈 
> 
> It’s like hosie and the originals at its finest.  
> We’ll see how everything turns out. 
> 
> Let me know what you think about the story in the comments. <33


	7. I’ll fix it.

The next day both Hope and Josie got up early and Josie offered to make breakfast in order to thank Hope’s family for everything they were doing for her. 

“You know, since you gave me this talisman is like the magic is not even there anymore. I can’t feel it.”

“It’s more complicated than that. I have to strengthen the spell day by day, that’s why it works so well.”

”I don’t know why they say that being close with a Mikaelson means you get hurt. I feel like you’re keeping me in a crystal ball.” 

Hope chuckled. “It’s the first time I hear someone saying this.” 

Suddenly the mood was ruined by Freya coming in the kitchen, clearly upset about something. Both Hope and Josie frowned and got worried for a moment.

“Aunt Freya? What’s wrong?”

“Josie..there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What?”

“It’s about your sister..”

“What about her? Is she okay?”

Freya tried to find courage to say the words. She learned to care about Josie and this was difficult for her as if it was a family matter. 

“She’s dead, Josie. Someone..attacked the school last night.”

Josie’s face dropped and she could feel the air missing from her lungs. She tried not to burst into tears but it was already late. Her voice was broken.

“That’s not possible. I..should have felt it. I would know it.”

“It was Ryan Clarke. Your parents said you knew him.” 

“What? No..Why? Why would he do that?” 

“He’s from the previous generation of your Gemini coven. His family was banished because they were considered traitors. He merged with his twin brother but he never got to lead the coven because they were banished. And they think that maybe now he is looking for revenge and..wants what it’s his.”

“She can’t be dead. She..” 

Hope tried to keep her calm and reached for her hands. “Josie..it’s the talisman. You can’t feel it because it’s blocking your magic.” 

“But why?! I should have known it right away! I could have saved her!” 

“Josie..”

“No! Don’t touch me! I don’t want this. I want to see my sister. I don’t care about the cure or whatever. I want to go.” 

She bursted out of the room leaving the talisman on the table. Hope tried to understand her reaction instead of taking it personally, though it was hurting her. 

“I can take her back to Mystic Falls. Maybe you should stay here.” Freya said trying not to sound insensitive.  
Hope nodded and agreed against her will, but didn’t want to make things worse.

After Lizzie’s memorial, Josie was standing in a room by herself, just staring at the closed coffin surrounded by beautiful flowers. 

It felt like a joke to her. Life over death. All together. She felt angry at herself, she felt angry at Clarke for killing her sister, she felt angry at Hope for repressing her powers. 

“I knew I would find you here.” 

Josie turned to her side to see Clarke standing by the door. Josie tightened her face and closed her hands in a fist. 

“You’ve got some nerve coming here after what you did. Especially considering that I’m not in my right mind.”

“Uhh, stand down please. I’m just here to chat. Not to kill you. Yet.”

Josie gave him a murderous look. “You really don’t want to make me mad now.”

“Oh no see, that’s exactly what I need. You remember that sand clock I gave you? Well, I need you to absorb the rest of the magic.”

“And why would I do that? Especially if it benefits you?”

“Because I like games. And it appears that I’m just as good as your great uncle Kai. Oh no wait, I’m better.”

“What did you say?” 

“Oh! Right.” He let out a psychotic laugh. “I was with him in the prison world. But I was clever enough to get out and leave him to rot. He made my life miserable in the last 10 years. I think he deserves a bit of loneliness.”

“Why did you do this to Lizzie..”

“I need both of you dead honey. But first I wanted to have a little fun. Bringing you to the edge. Make you...a monster. Just like your uncle. It appears to be a family trait, wouldn’t you agree?” He laughed amused again. 

“I can assure you, you won’t even be here to see it.” 

Josie’s eyes went suddenly dark. For the first time Clarke wasn’t laughing anymore. She started casting a spell that normally she wouldn’t even be able to do without an ascendant, but her dark magic was capable of this and much more.

“Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum.” 

And just like that Clarke disappeared. Her eyes went back to normal, her dark side leaving her in control again. She felt disoriented for a moment. She couldn’t remember what just happened, she just kept feeling a great anger and the need to destroy everything. 

At the same moment Freya entered the room to let her know they had to leave. But as soon as she stepped in she felt a dark energy floating all over the room.

“Josie..”

She turned to look at Freya with an unexpressive look.

“Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer. Freya wanted to trust her, but she really couldn’t. She could see the darkness in her eyes, so before Josie could lose control again, she put her to sleep.

When they got back home the same night, Freya took Josie to her room and put the talisman back around her neck.  
She went to see Hope to make sure she was okay, since she didn’t even come out of her room to see Josie. 

When Freya entered she saw her focused on her painting. Freya knew she heard her, but she didn’t turn around anyway.

“I put her to sleep again. I don’t know what happened today, but I sensed her magic. She would’ve lost control again.” 

Hope kept silent and kept painting as if she wasn’t listening.

“Hope? We need to do something now.”

“Don’t you think I know that!?” She dropped violently all her colors and screamed so loud to scare even Freya. The last time Hope was this angry was after her mother died. 

“She needs you.”

“She hates me. And she’s right. I shouldn’t have repressed her magic like that. I should’ve just solved the problem right away. And we’re still far from solving it!” 

She kicked the chair next to her and ran a hand through her hair. Then she took a deep breath and opened her eyes to look at Freya with a serious face.

“I’ll fix this.”

“You? Hope, we’ll fix it together. You can’t do it by yourself.” 

“We didn’t get much far together though, did we?” 

She gave one last hard look at Freya and then left her room, leaving her standing there. 

A few hours later Hope was in the sanctuary of the cemetery. She made a circle of salt on the ground and placed some candles around it. At last she placed  
the Hand of Glory next to her and started casting the spell Davina thought her.

“La ma me dicie, dic ka lore. La ma me dicie, dic ka lore. La ma me dicie, dic ka lore. La ma me dicie, dic ka lore. La ma me dicie, dic ka lore.” 

When she opened her eyes there was a blonde woman kneeling on the ground. She was disoriented and surprised to see her. 

“Who are you? What am I doing here?”

“You’re Esther?” 

“Yes. Who the hell are you?” 

“You don’t recognize me, do you? I’m Hope, Klaus’s daughter.”


	8. I think I might

“What am I doing here?”

“I need your help. But we don’t have much time so I suggest you to be fast.”

Esther laughed sarcastically. “I’m already dead, kid. There’s no point of threatening me.”

“I need your help with some dark magic. You know about the mora miserium?”

“Yes?”

“Do you know how to free someone from that dark magic?”

“Oh sweetie, you can try but you can never contain that amount of dark magic. It would erase every part of its host. It would be nothing more than a body. No soul. No hope for salvation.”

Hope’s face tightened with both anger and fear. Esther studied her. 

“You’re scared to lose her like you lost your father.” 

Hope’s eyes turned yellow now. 

“Hey I’m not trying to poke you. You know, the dead can see everything that goes on with the living.” 

“Do you know how to help me or not?” 

“There’s nothing that can keep that magic from coming out now that has found a host. The only way you can free yourself is by locking her away somewhere. And I might know the most powerful thing for that.”

“I’m not locking her away. I have to save her first!”

“Don’t you get it? She will be lost in her mind anyway. You can’t save her.” 

Hope thought about it for a moment and then looked at Esther as if she just had an enlightenment. 

“Yes I can.” 

“Don’t be stupid. The only thing you can use to lock away the dark magic along with its host is with a dark object called the Serratura.”

“Thank you. You were half helpful.”

“Wait!”

Hope looked at her waiting for her to talk. 

“Bring me back to life.” 

Hope laughed sarcastically. “You tried to kill your own children. My father. You shouldn’t even be asking me.” 

“You’re just like your father.” 

She got closer to the circle to face her better and looked at her with anger.

“My father may have done unspeakable things, but he was the best father I could ever ask for. My father and his brothers and sisters forgave each other horrible things, because that’s what family does. That’s how I know what family is. So don’t you dare try to insult my father with your insinuations.” 

With a wave of her hand she lighted off the candle and Esther disappeared. 

A week later Hope finally found the courage to enter Josie’s room. She sat next to her and just watched her sleep for what seemed like hours. She was thinking carefully about her next move. She didn’t want to risk to put Josie in danger again before she was actually sure she had everything ready.  
But she also missed her. And she had to know that she didn’t hate her. She thought she could take it, but the truth was she couldn’t. 

She passed her hand over Josie’s face casting a silent spell to wake her up.  
After a few seconds Josie opened her eyes, instantly looking at her.  
Then she looked away again, just staring at the ceiling. 

When Josie looked away from her Hope could swear she felt her heart breaking. She didn’t want to cry, she tried not to. 

“Josie..I’m really sorry.” 

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Nine days.” 

She pressed her lips together and nodded, clearly irritated.

“What’s next? You’re putting me in a coffin too?” 

That hurt. Again. But Hope still tried to stay calm and be gentle with her. 

“Josie look at me.” 

She turned her eyes to look at Hope. At first her face was still angry, but after staring at Hope for a while her look seemed to soften a bit. 

“Hope.” It’s like she was herself again. Hope realized that not even the talisman was working anymore. 

“Yes?”

Josie sat down and looked at her with tears in her eyes. She cupped Hope’s face in her hands and then pulled her into her arms to hug her tight. Hope was confused at first but then she melted into the hug and inevitably started crying. 

When Josie pulled away she noticed that Hope was crying too and she softened even more.

“Don’t cry..I’m so sorry Hope. I didn’t mean what I said. I didn’t mean any of it.”

“I know. I know you didn’t. But I’m sorry too. What I did to you was wrong.”

“No Hope I knew what you were doing and that it was the safest thing for me. I was just so upset that I took it on you. I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s okay.” She wiped off the tears and chuckled nervously. “Actually I was a bit afraid that you might hate me.” 

“I could never hate you. I..” 

“What’s she doing awake?” Freya bursted into the room, clearly upset with Hope. 

“She’s okay aunt Freya. I swear.” She lied. 

Freya glanced at both of them and sighed. She couldn’t let it go this time.

“I give you two just tonight. After that she’s going back to sleep. I’m sorry Josie.”

“No!” Hope screamed at her causing Freya to jump. “You’re not putting her to sleep again. You more than anyone should know what this means.”

“Don’t talk to me like this Hope.”

“Like what?! I can’t make a point? Because I clearly am! You’re doing just what aunt Dahlia did to you!”

“It is for her own safety! And everyone else’s!” This time Freya was raising her voice too. 

“I will take care of her. No one else. Not even you. Not if it means treating her like a monster who needs to be put down.” 

Freya didn’t dare to say a word more and just stormed out of the room, while Hope stayed standing there trying to collect her thoughts and calm down. She opened her eyes and then turned around to face Josie again, who watched the whole fight in silence.

“Hope..”

“It’s okay.” 

Josie looked at her with a sorry face and then smiled softly at Hope. 

“Just in case we have just this night before other-me takes over, where are we going?” 

Hope smiled softly and kneeled on the bed taking Josie’s hands in hers, staring at her as if she was looking at the cutest thing alive. 

“Wherever you want.” 

“Take me somewhere special to you.” 

“I might have an idea.” 

Hope took the car and drove both of them outside the city in the direction of the bayou. When they finally arrived Josie hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the car. Hope frowned and looked at her.

“What?”

“You took me here to kill me, didn’t you?” 

Hope chuckled and shook her head. “Just get out of the car.” 

Josie smiled softly and followed Hope along the bridge that faced the lake. Hope sat down and Josie did the same. 

“My aunt’s pack is usually here. They’re not tonight because it’s the full moon.”

“Is it safe to be here?”

Hope laughed again. “It is. You’re safe with me Josie. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” 

“Alright, if you prefer.” 

Josie’s smile disappeared and she got lost staring at the darkness of the lake, only the full moon reflecting on it.

“It’s all my fault. If I just hadn’t used dark magic in the first place...”

“You would still have an enemy out there. And he could have reached her anyway. Or both of you.”

“Well he kinda did. I’m screwed anyway.”

Hope closed her eyes trying not to think about a world without Josie. Right now she couldn’t even imagine it. Josie glanced at her and noticed that she might have upset her.

“Hey.” 

Hope looked at her and gave her a forced smile, but she couldn’t trick Josie.

“What’s up with you?” 

Hope looked far in the distance, focusing on the trees on the other side of the lake.  
She sighed heavily, feeling her hands shaking. Why was she reacting this way? She doesn’t shake. She doesn’t feel this way around people. 

Josie noticed that Hope was really struggling to answer and the knuckles of her fingers were getting pale because of how strong she was holding the edge of the bridge. 

“Hope?”

“I care about you, Josie. More than you know.” 

“I care about you too.” 

“You don’t get it...”

“Then explain it to me.”

Hope turned to her side to face her. She decided it was best not to talk at all and so she closed the distance between them and kissed her gently. When she pulled away Josie instantly collided their lips together again and kissed her with more passion, deepening the kiss adding her tongue. 

After a few minutes of making out both of them pulled away at the same time. The first thing Josie saw were Hope’s eyes turning yellow. She couldn’t help but smile. 

“They’re beautiful Hope.” 

Hope smiled softly, still glancing at both Josie’s eyes and lips. 

“Hope?” Josie’s look quickly changed. Now she looked scared and nervous. Hope waited patiently for her to talk.  
“I think I might love you.” 

Hope’s heart jumped out of her chest for a moment but she tried to hide the butterflies she was feeling in that moment. But she didn’t stop smiling at her.

“You think you might?”

Josie rolled her eyes and smiled at the same time. “How am I supposed to say it? I don’t want to make a fool of myself if you say ‘I’m sorry, I’m not there yet’.”

“I’m sorry, I think I might love you too.” She bursted out.

Josie smiled widely and nodded in understanding. “Good. I’m not a fool then.” 

Hope laughed along with her and then rested her head on Josie’s shoulder. 

“When all of this is over I might consider coming with you to Mystic Falls.”

Josie smiled happily at the thought of seeing Hope at school everyday.

“Then you better save me Hope Mikaelson.”


	9. Find me and save me.

Lucien Castle was in the cemetery, waiting for the spirit of Kara Nguyen to show up. He spent days observing the Mikaelsons and their every movement, and he thought it was time to strike. 

When the woman appeared he immediately told her about his intentions.

“I intend to end it today. The Mikaelsons have lived enough.”

“We agree. But you forget that you are nothing but a common vampire now. How do you plan on beating them? Especially the two witches.”

“I was counting on your help here.”

The witch smiled and pulled something out of her tunic and handed it over to him.

“What’s this?”

“Poison. Drink it and when you bit them it will paralyze them. So you’ll have the chance to do it quickly and without further complications.” 

“And what about the niece?” 

She suddenly pulled out a White Oak Stake. Lucien looked at her amazed. 

“How is this possibile?”

“You forget about the power we have, vampire.” 

“Wait a moment. Where is my partner?”

“Mr. Clarke had an inconvenient. But he will be back today. So you two can help each other.” 

Hope was at home trying to train Josie with wooden sticks since kicking and punching were out of the question according to Hope. Josie was actually good at pushing back. 

“Careful Hope. You might end up with your pretty ass on the ground.”

She pushed back again. 

“Pretty ass huh?.” And again. “What do you know about it?”

Then she made her spin the stick and tried to slip it under Josie’s feet to make her fall, but Josie managed to block Hope and then hit her in the stomach with the other side of the stick, making her fall with her back on the ground while she placed herself on top of her. The wooden stick  
hitting on the ground a few inches from Hope’s face. 

Both of them were breathing heavily. Hope was so surprised by Josie’s moves that even forgot the pain for a moment. They were staring at each other and smiling amused. 

Suddenly Josie’s eyes went dark for a split second, just to come back normal again. She closed her eyes and gasped trying to keep control. Hope placed a hand on her cheek.

“I’m here. Listen to my voice.” 

After a few seconds Josie opened her eyes again and smiled softly at Hope. 

“Thank you.” 

“Well? I don’t hear the sticks anymore. Did someone hit the head?” Rebekah bursted in the hall interrupting their moment. Josie quickly stood up while Hope stayed down.

“She won auntie Bex.” 

“I think you wanted to lose.” 

“That’s not true.”

“She refused to train me like you two do.” Josie said to Rebekah.

“That’s because she wants to keep you wrapped in cotton wool, don’t you my love?”

“Shut up.” Hope tried to keep it cool hoping that they would let it go. 

Suddenly some stranger entered the compound. They looked at him in confusion. He was clearly human since he managed to pass through the protection spell. 

“Can I help you?” Rebekah asked.

“Get ready. He’s coming for you. All of you.” 

“Who?” 

Suddenly the man took out a pocket knife and cut himself from the left to the right side of his mouth and ultimately slit his own throat right in front of them, then collapsed on the floor. 

“Oh my god.” Josie held her stomach in shock while Hope tried to reassure her holding her next to her. 

“What’s the meaning of this?” Kol appeared from the living room. 

“It’s Lucien. He’s back.” Freya realized in horror. 

Lucien was one her worst nightmares. And now he was back for his revenge for sure. She quickly gathered everyone together to decide what to do and how to protect themselves for when he would come. 

“The good thing is that he died as a normal vampire, so his bite is not lethal.”

“So we just have to take his heart out or stick a wood into it. Simple as that.” Kol cut it short.

“I’m seriously amazed by how easy this is for you all.” Josie was listening trying to contain the shock. After all they were the Mikaelsons. 

“It’s okay. You won’t be here to see any of it.” Hope told her.

“What? Why? I wanna help.”

“Josie, you beat me today because I let you. You can’t face a thousand year old vampire.”

“I can’t leave you alone in this.”

“I won’t be alone. But you have to promise me you will stay hidden.”

Josie watched Hope and still tried to argue, but as Hope looked at her with pleading eyes at that point Josie decided to do as she said. 

“Well well well.” Lucien entered the compound with no problems, of course thanks to the ancestors magic. “No one to welcome their guest?” 

Hope turned to Josie while the others walked outside.

“Go. Now.” 

“Hope! Wait.” She didn’t really know what to say. She just didn’t want to leave her like this before the big fight where anything could happen. 

“Please come back to me. Okay?”

Hope smiled and gave her a quick but sweet kiss. 

“Now go.” 

“Oh well what do we have here. Oh hi. You must be the bastard’s daughter, isn’t it right? You look just like your mother though.”

“Yeah, but unlucky for you I have the temper of both of them.”

Lucien laughed amused. “That’s exciting.”  
Suddenly he took out a White Oak Stake and glanced at each one of them with an evil smirk on his face.

“Curious right? We all thought that there wasn’t anymore. But I have my ways you know.” He paused for a moment. “And you know what’s even more fun?” He laughed and then looked at Hope. “This can kill you too!”

While he kept laughing devilishly every member of the family tensed for a moment. 

“Just think about it. You’re a tribrid. The Original-Tribrid. And this little friend here just appears to be able to wipe off the earth all the first born of creatures. That means, all of you.” 

But after two seconds both Kol and Rebekah threw themselves on him to fight. 

First he focused on Rebekah, kicking her off of him. Then he threw a punch at Kol, broke his arm and pushed him aside.  
Rebekah was on him again. She tried to snap his head but he went backwards to smash her against the pillar and make her fall off, then he quickly reacted to Kol’s attack and snapped his head to get him out of the games.

“This is so boring. Freya! You don’t even say hi?” 

He went to her with his vampire speed and before she could even react he bit her on the neck. 

“Leave her!” Hope jumped on him blocking his arms, but then he manages to free himself from Hope’s grip and kicks her in the stomach making her fly a few meters far from him, while he gets up again waiting for someone to react.

“So? No one? Oh, Freya. Does it burn? It’s just a precaution.”

“You poisoned me.” Freya tried to keep it together but the poison he used was acting fast and was paralyzed her.

Suddenly Marcel sneak up on him and threw him against the coffee table, smashing it along with the glasses. He was on top of him holding him by the throat when Lucien reached a piece of glass and sticked it into his neck, freeing himself from Marcel’s grip once again.

He got up and adjusted his shirt, looking around.

“Huh. That’s it? Can we move to the funerals? I think we can.” 

Meanwhile Josie was in Freya’s studio trying to keep it calm and avoid doing stupid things. But she could hear everything from there so it wasn’t helpful. Her heart missed a beat every time she heard Hope scream or get hurt. 

Suddenly someone appeared on the balcony. 

“You know, it was not nice what you did to me.” 

Josie looked at him in shock. Clarke. She wondered how he could still be there. She knows she sent him away with dark magic. It was probably the only time she used that magic consciously. But she didn’t tell Hope. This wasn’t Hope’s battle, this was hers. 

“How are you here?”

“Oh you know. A friend of a friend. Enough chitchat though. I think you need a push.” 

“To do what?”

“What your body and your mind is telling you to do since dark magic went inside you. You have to embrace it, Josie.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” 

“Because sunshine, I was here before you. But your family banished mine, so you see, I lost my place. I won the merge. I have to lead the coven, it’s my birthright.” 

“Then do it! Why did you have to kill my sister? Why turning me into this?!”

“Don’t you get it?! It’s all part of the fun. And with your sister dead I have one less problem. Now you, what do you think it’s going to happen to you when dark magic takes over you? The ancestors are going to destroy you. So I’ll finally have my place.” He smiled widely, happy as a baby in a candy store, while Josie looked at him in horror and tears down her face. 

“You know, he has a dagger that can kill not only an original, but also a tribrid.” He laughed wholeheartedly. “That’s genius if you ask me. Oh. Wait. This means you’re both gonna die. What a modern Juliet&Juliet tragedy. Splendid.” 

“Go away!” 

“Think fast Josette. Will you let your girlfriend die?” 

Josie closed her eyes and breathed heavily feeling the panic overwhelming her. When she opened her eyes again Clarke was gone. She didn’t want to go against Hope’s will. But she also couldn’t stay there and wait for her to die. She didn’t know what to do. 

Meanwhile Hope was getting up for the tenth time after Lucien knocked her down. At the same time everyone else was paralyzed by his poison just like Freya was. 

“I’m getting tired. I think it’s time we finish this. Don’t you think?” 

Hope was breathing heavily but she was far from giving up. 

“I have a great idea. You all can watch while I kill her. How poetic. Her father sacrificed himself for his family and her daughter, just to be failed by his own family, who couldn’t even save her.” 

He quickly grabbed Hope from behind and held her with an arm around her neck. 

“Let her go! You bastard!” Kol screamed but was still unable to move. 

“Lucien don’t do this. Just kill us all, but don’t touch her. Please I’m begging you.”  
Rebekah told him with tears in her eyes.

“Oh look at you all. How adorable. But I think I’m going to enjoy this more. He whispered with anger into Hope’s ear “Always and Forever kid, “till Forever ends.” 

He moved the steak to stick it in Hope’s back in order to reach her heart. Everyone heard the sound of the flash cut open. Their breathing stopped for a moment, only watching Hope without realizing that she hadn’t really been stabbed. 

Suddenly Lucien fell dead on the ground with his heart beside him. Hope looked at Freya in front of her and all of them took a deep sigh of relief. Rebekah crying of joy watching her niece still safe and alive. 

But then they noticed someone behind Hope. She noticed the look on her family’s eyes and turned around to see Josie standing there. Her look completely changed in black. 

Hope’s face suddenly fell and if she was feeling relieved until that moment, now she felt like her heart was being truly stabbed. 

“Josie...no. What did you do?”

“What I had to do.”

“You took all the dark magic.” She really wanted to cry. 

“Don’t look so devastated Hope. I saved your fragile little heart. A thank you is enough.” 

Then she glanced around seeing Hope’s family still paralyzed. She rolled her eyes and fixed it with a knock of her fingers. 

“There you go. Up up. Everyone off to sleep.”

She turned around to leave but Hope stopped her.

“Wait. Where are you going?” 

“I have things to do Hope. You better clean up this mess though.” 

“Josie stay here. I can help you. But we have to do it right now.” 

“I don’t need help. I’m just fine, but thank you.” 

“No! Josie..” And she disappeared without leaving a trace. 

Hope felt her legs weakened and lose her strength. Luckily Kol took her in time to keep her standing. Meanwhile Rebekah left a kiss on her head and hugged her. 

Freya and Rebekah were in the hall discussing about what to do about Josie now that she was on the leash. 

“I don’t know what she came up with Rebekah. I just know that I don’t have a solution except the fact that you have to lock the dark magic somewhere while it’s in someone’s body.”

“Why don’t we find someone expendable then?”

“Why don’t put it into Clarke? The ancestors would never accept him as a leader of a coven.”

“That’s a guess but yeah, it’s the most concrete solution that we have until now.” 

“We have to talk to Hope.” 

“I know.”

Meanwhile Hope was in Freya’s studio. She looked around to see the sand clock completely shattered on the floor. She felt the need to cry. No matter if she had a plan or not, she didn’t want Josie to go through this in the first place but now she was, because she didn’t fix it sooner. 

She took a bronze statue from the table and threw it on the floor, running a hand through her hair and crying silently.  
Suddenly her eyes fell on the table beside the couch. There was a piece of paper and she took it to read it. 

“Find me and save me Hope. I love you.” 

Hope smiled between tears and started sobbing while sitting down the couch, holding her head in her hands.


	10. You’re still in there.

The sun just went up in the sky. It was early in the morning and at that hour the city is still asleep, so as the dead. The air was chilly not only because of the cold season, but also because the dark magic was filling the air. 

Ryan Clarke was walking quietly and carelessly to talk about his deal with Kara Nguyen. 

“Mr. Clarke. I assume you accomplished your task.” 

“I did. I cannot say the same about your basic Avatar I’m afraid.”

“We overestimated Lucien, I’m afraid. But now I think that we can reach a much more interesting and satisfying deal.” 

“What’s that?”

“The Mikaelson family is still alive. And the girl you want us to take down...well, she’s valuable to them.” 

“Yes she is.”

“What you’re going to do is collect a sample of blood of the three witches. After that, You’ll make sure the dark witch comes to us.” 

Clarke was looking at her in confusion. “What are you planning to do?”

“I will bind their lives to hers. She dies. They die. And when they’re here with the ancestors in the ancestral plane, we’re destroying them once and for all. Davina Claire also has her debts towards us.” 

“What about the two vampires? They must have destroyed that stake by now.”

Kara took out a round dark object and handed it to him. The Serratura.

“Lock them away with this. So they can have their always and forever at the bottom of the ocean.” 

Hope was in Freya’s studio with Esther’s grimoires open on the table. A map and Josie’s necklace together. She closed her eyes and started the spell.

“Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras... Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras... Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras...”

A blow of wind lighted off the candles and Hope knew it didn’t work since she didn’t have any vision or clue about Josie’s location. At the same moment Freya entered the room and looked at her, careful to choose her next words wisely. 

Talking to Hope became difficult in the last two weeks. She was angry and lonely most of the time, trying to find someone who clearly didn’t wanna be found.

“Nothing?” 

“She cloaked herself. There’s no way I can reach her.” 

“Maybe you should look for her yourself. I don’t think she would hurt you. She saved you after all.”

“I think that was only an exception. Or she wouldn’t have left when I asked her not to. She’s not herself.”

Freya looked at her with a sorry look and placed a hand on Hope’s.

“Hey. She’s still in there.” 

“How can you be so sure? She’s been like this for two full weeks. Who knows how much dark magic she used.” 

“Hope. Tell me about your plan. We have to work together to do this, or we will never come to rescue her.” 

Hope sighed and thought about it for a moment. But her aunt was right. There was no point of keeping it to herself, she needed help and more importantly, she needed all the power she could get. 

“I found a spell in one of Esther’s grimoires. It consists in a potion that allows to separate the two consciousness. So that Josie would be safe.”

“But we still have to get the dark magic out of her.” 

“I know.” 

“We thought we can transfer it into Clarke’s body. This way we can lock him away with the Serratura and save Josie.” 

“But where is it?”

“That’s the problem. It should be at the bottom of the ocean.” 

Hope sighed heavily. “This is pointless.”

Hope closed her eyes trying to keep calm and don’t let her emotions take over her, but all of this was overwhelming and extenuating. 

“I have to go.”

“Where?” 

“Just don’t follow me. Okay?” And she left without leaving Freya another choice but to let her go. 

Hope wanted to be alone for a while and try to clear her mind. Try not to think about the fact that the person she loved was now in danger or she could be even dead in her own mind by now. 

She went to the bayou where she could be quiet and felt like she could be closer to her mother. She stood in front of the three that had her name engraved and placed a hand on it.

“It’s quite a mess here mom. I honestly don’t know how you and dad did this.” She chuckled between tears. “I could really use your help now.” 

Hope looked around her and noticed Keelin’s crossbow on a trunk. She decided to practice a bit and charged it, started to aim to the tree in front of her. Then to another. And another broken trunk. Then she decided to aim to a more thinner wood which sustained the roof of the cabin. 

When she throws the arrow after a few seconds of hesitation, she knew she would miss it. But instead of breaking the window of the cabin the arrow went straight into Josie’s hand. 

She was standing there with a casual attitude, the arrow between two fingers. Then she dropped it under Hope’s surprised gaze.

“Why so surprised? As if you haven’t been trying to locate me at least twice a day in the past two weeks.” She said annoyed and sitting gracefully on a broken trunk. 

“I needed to see you.” 

“Yeah well I had a few places I needed to be. I can’t seem to find that psycho witch who reminds me so much of my uncle Kai. Any idea of where I can find him?”

“Why do you need to find him?”

“To kill him, silly.”

“No, Josie. You can’t kill him. We need him to transfer the dark magic in him in order to save you.”

She laughed amused. “Are you so stupid to come here and tell me about your plan to save Josie? Have you been sleeping well dear?”

“I know why you’ve been hiding from me. It’s because you know I can reach her, right? You know that if I start talking, she might fight you and try to win you over.” 

Hope smiled happily of her discovery. Josie on the contrary was not so happy. She looked at Hope with an angry look, trying to keep control.

“You didn’t beat her. She can still be saved.”

“You’re so naive, Hope.” 

“Am I? Because I think that Josie, my Josie, is giving you a hell of a headache right now.” 

She saw her close her eyes trying to fight it but when she opened them again her look changed. It was softer and scared. But when she glanced at Hope she let out a wide smile.

“You’re right. I am.” 

Hope smiled and let out a deep breath, kneeling down at Josie’s feet and cupping her face in her hands. 

“You’re still in there.”

“Hope I had to do it. I had to save you.” 

“I know. But I still hate that you had to do this because of me. I was supposed to protect you and..”

“Hope? We can’t do this right now.” They stared at each other for what seemed forever and then Josie smiled at Hope tenderly to reassure her. “Do what you have to do. Don’t worry about me.”

“How can I not worry about you? You’re the point of everything here!” 

“I will be okay Hope. Just..” She closed her eyes and started gasping, breathing heavily.

“No..Josie stay here. Please.” 

She opened her eyes again and looked at her inexpressively. 

“I am here silly.” 

She placed her hand on Hope’s chest and made her fly far from her, crushing her with her back against the tree. Hope groaned in pain while touching her back. 

“Why do you try to be the hero Hope? You know how it ends for them. They always die. Sometimes heroically, people would say. But are they really that strong if they die in the end? They are nothing but fallen myths.” 

“Oh I’m no hero believe me. But I’m pretty committed to end you.” 

She laughed amused. “I thought you loved me? How disappointing.”

“I love Josie. But see, you’re just in our way.” 

Hope jumped on her to reach her head and slam it against the car, but Josie was fast to react and blocked Hope’s hand, holding her wrist so strong to hurt her. 

“Do you really wanna hurt your girlfriend, Hope?” 

Hope groaned in pain while looking at her in the eyes, unable to say something to her or react.

“Didn’t think so.” 

Suddenly she disappeared, leaving Hope alone in the middle of the bayou holding her wrist and sighing heavily.


	11. Then we do it my way.

Clarke was walking furtively in the cemetery. It was almost sunset and he knew how much time Davina spent there.  
She was practicing her magic as usual when he entered the sanctuary and stood there, waiting for her to notice him. 

“You took a big risk coming here.”

Clarke smiled amused. “Did I?” 

Davina looked at him with anger while he walked closer to her, his hands on the pockets of his jacket. 

“I heard you’ve been a bad witch.”

“Not as much as you, I’m sure.”

“Is this a competition? Alright. I’ll take the prize then.” He raised his hands pretending to hold his prize, smiling like a creep.

“What is wrong with you?” 

“Oh, darling...” He walked past her and quickly slammed her head against the stone at her feet, making her unconscious. 

He bowed down to take some of the blood oh the cut of her forehead and then sighed. “Everything.”

Freya was at home with Hope, teaching her more of offensive magic just in case, although Hope made clear to her that she didn’t want to hurt Josie. But Freya insisted especially considering that Clarke and the ancestors were part of this. 

“I keep thinking about Josie’s vision. There is something missing from that prophecy.” Freya said.

“Well we can’t ask her to come here and let us enter her mind unfortunately. We don’t even know if it would work now.”

Freya sighed and placed her hands on the table, looking at Hope.  
Suddenly a voice interrupted them. 

“What’s the need of knowing?” 

They turned their attention to Clarke who was standing on the balcony of the room, smiling at them. 

“She’s good as gone anyway. They will tear her apart. Along with you.” 

Hope’s eyes turned yellow and was almost ready to attack him but he stopped her.

“Woah woah, there’s no need honey. No need.” Both Hope and Freya stood down but stayed on guard.

“See, I would ask nicely if people just cooperated with me. But since this isn’t possible..” 

He pointed his hand at Freya leaving her unconscious on the floor with a wave of his hand. When Hope tried to react he quickly pointed his hand at her, clutching his fingers together and making her fall on the floor in pain, blood starting to run down her cheeks from her eyes and then her nose.

“See, I don’t much care in hurting you dear, but a deal is a deal. And I have to do my part. You understand that, right?” 

He looked closely at her while she struggled to fight it although the blood was still dripping on her face. He smiled devilishly at her before letting her go.

“I knew you would.” 

As soon as he left the grip on her she fainted and he managed to take her blood and cut Freya’s palm to take her blood too. 

After not long Rebekah came back and found them lying unconscious on the floor. 

“Hope! Freya!” She instantly went to Hope to feel her heartbeat. She took a sigh of relief when she heard she was still alive. 

“Hope, wake up.” 

After she tried to move her a few times Hope opened her eyes. So did Freya right after her.

“What happened?” 

“Clarke.” Hope groaned.

“What did he want?”

“He took my blood.” Freya looked at the cut on her hand trying to come up with a reason. The three looked at each other trying to connect the dots.

“He also made Hope bleed. And then he just left?” 

“What does he want from us? Isn’t his only interest take down Josie?”

“Well who do you think will try to stop him from doing that?” Hope asked rhetorically.

“I don’t think that’s it.” Freya kept thinking. “I think there’s something else. Something missing that we don’t know.” 

“I have to find Josie.” Hope got up slowly and cleaned up the blood from her face.

“Are you out of your mind? He could be after her right now.” Rebekah said.

“That’s exactly why I have to find her.”

“Hope it’s too dangerous. Clarke spared you this time but if you get in his way trying to protect Josie, he will kill you.” Freya said to her, almost scared for her niece.

“Good thing I’m a tribrid then.” 

“No! Hope! I can’t let you do this, I’m sorry.” Freya stood in front of her. Hope looked at her with anger. 

“Let. me. go.” 

“I can’t. Forgive me Hope.” 

“No. Don’t you d..” Before she could finish talking Freya put her to sleep with a spell.

“Phasmatos Somnus.” 

Freya looked at Hope’s sleeping body on the ground and then at Rebekah, who looked at her in understanding. She knew it was wrong but she also wouldn’t let Hope jeopardize her own safety. 

“I have to locate Josie.” 

“How? She won’t let herself be found Freya. Not even your magic can compete with her power.” 

“I have to try everything I can. I have to save that kid, for Hope.” 

Meanwhile Josie was hidden in a dark room underground. She had a bowl in front of her where she put a string of Hope’s hair and a drop of her blood she managed to take when they met in the bayou. 

She closed her eyes to cast the spell. 

“Locus sua mortendius la chambre, locus sua mortendius la chambre.” 

Suddenly Hope found herself in her mother’s room, along with the nursery where she slept when she was a baby. Even the baby cot was still there. 

She looked around and but she was definitely alone, until someone opened the door. Hope was even more confused now.

“What are we doing here?” 

Josie walked nonchalantly into the room and looked around her. 

“Oh you know. Your aunt put you to sleep, pretty ironic right? Anyway, I figured we could have a little chat.” 

“About what?” 

“Do you know why Josie is so weak, Hope?” 

Hope didn’t answer.

“It’s because of you. You see, Lizzie’s death was truly a blessing for her. She was her biggest problem. But now...you are.”

“So you’re here to kill me? In my sleep? You’re not so brave as you want others to think.” 

“Well I can rather kill you. Or you can join me?”

“Join you? And to do what?” Hope laughed ironically.

“Whatever we want. You see, Josie is having a hard time trying to fight me now. I think I’m this close to finally be me.” She smiled and laughed wickedly. Hope’s face tightened.

“That’s not true.”

“Unfortunately for you it is. So don’t bother trying Hope. It’s over. If you think about it, I’m still her in some kind of way. But you could never love me if you’re still you. Playing the hero.”

“You can’t force me. I can’t be bought.” 

“Oh I know. That’s why I have to do everything myself.” She walked dangerously closer to Hope, while she moved backwards.

“What do you want?”

“In order to make you like the new Josie, I have to kill you first. Reborn as vampire, I will shut your humanity off. And we’ll be off conquering the world. Don’t you like that?”

“Why do you even want me as a part of it?” 

“I think it’s Josie’s fault. Her feelings for you...” She groaned in frustration. “They’re so fucking strong. Since we’re like, how to say it..merging?” She laughed. “That was so fun, I’m sorry. Well, since our minds are now almost one, I have this weird..strong urge, to get you.” 

Hope was with her back against the wall while Josie was a few inches from her, staring at her face intensively, moving her eyes to her lips.  
Hope tried to resist whatever thing she was feeling right now because this wasn’t Josie. She kept repeating it in her mind. 

Hope looked her right in the eyes trying to find even a glimpse of Josie’s humanity. 

“I’m not giving up on you.” 

Josie stared at her inexpressively for a moment. Then closed her eyes and sighed, almost as if she was bored.

“Fine.” 

Suddenly she daggers her in the stomach without hesitation. Hope widens her eyes and moans in pain, holding her stomach with one hand and placing the others on Josie’s shoulder. 

She keeps looking at her hoping to see a reaction, but there was none. Hope fell on the floor while Josie looked at her and then the dagger drenched in blood. 

“Then we do it my way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🙊🙊🙊


	12. She’s worth the risk

Hours later Hope woke up in her bed gasping for air. She felt all her senses heightened, her stomach writhing with hunger. She quickly went down the compound feeling the heartbeats of all the people coming from the quarter. 

A girl was alone walking in the corner of the street, looking for something in her bag, when she bumped into someone. Hope. 

“Oh, sorry. I wasn’t looking.” 

“I’m so sorry.” Hope’s eyes suddenly went red and the veins under her eyes were showing, along with her teeth.

“What are you..” 

“Don’t scream.” Hope sinks her teeth in the girl’s neck starting to drain her from her blood, until she fell dead on the ground. 

Hope was feeling better but panicked at the same time. She hurt someone. She killed someone and her blood was all over her mouth. She breathed heavily and quickly went back to the compound, hoping to find someone of her family who could help her. 

When she arrived in the courtyard of the compound Keelin was there. When she saw Hope crying with blood on her hands she widened her eyes and run to her.

“Hope, what happened?”

“I..I killed someone. I drained her and..” 

At the same time Freya arrived and looked at her in shock. “How is this possible?”

“Josie. She..she killed me.” 

A few moments later they were all sitting in Hope’s room to ask her what happened.

“She said she needed me like this. That she will make me shut off my humanity so that I can join her.”

“This is so sick and twisted. Now even her dark side is in love with you, how lovely.” Rebekah said ironically.

“What if she endangers herself on purpose?” Hope looked at Freya with fear in her eyes. 

“Hope..”

“No, she would. She would definitely push herself that far to make me do it.”

“You can’t let her find you Hope. If we lose you we lose everything. Josie too.” 

“I know.” 

“I can cloak you but I doubt my magic will be that strong compared to hers.” 

“It’s worth the try.” 

“I also had an idea.” 

“When? In your deathbed? Now it’s not time for crazy plans Hope.” Rebekah said.

“What if we bring Lizzie back to life?”

“Have you even listened to what I just said?!” Rebekah raised her voice.

“To do what exactly?” Keelin asked.

“I think she can reach her.”

“Hope, you can reach her too but then she goes back to being a murderous bitch.”

“I know but think about it. Josie started actually losing it after her death. She might be able to bring her out before it’s too late.”

“You forget she’s the reason she started doing black magic in the first place.” Feya pointed out. Hope sighed heavily, unsure of what to do next. 

“Hope, get some rest. We’ll think about this tomorrow.”

“There is no time!” 

“We’ll make time.” 

The next day everyone minus Hope were in the living room when someone bursted in the compound. It was Caroline and she was not calm, at all. 

“I asked you all ONE thing!”

“Caroline..” Freya started.

“No! It was hard enough losing one child, but now this too?! I saw her. She appeared to me in a dream. She’s..she’s gone, isn’t she?”

“No. She’s not gone. We will save her.”

“Really? It’s been two months! Two months and you did nothing!” 

“Mom?” Caroline froze for a moment and turned around to the voice behind her. Freya was as shocked as Caroline seeing Lizzie standing there beside Hope.

Freya looked at Hope and whispered. “You didn’t.”

“Lizzie?” Caroline cried silently and run to her daughter to hold her into her arms. 

Hope figured that what she did would not go unanswered by Freya. A few minutes later they were in fact arguing upstairs.

“Do you have any idea of the risk you took today, Hope?”

“Davina did the same spell to bring uncle Kol back. This is no different from what she did. It was safe.” 

“Lizzie wasn’t even a New Orleans witch, Hope.“

Hope stayed silent.

“You’re done putting yourself in danger, Hope. I’m tired of seeing you risking your life. You died! Your father would kill me if he was here right now.” 

She was still quiet. 

“Hope. This...was unnecessary. If the ancestors find out, if Clarke finds out..”

“I’m taking every risk! I don’t care, okay?! Lizzie was not unnecessary. She didn’t deserve to die in the first place. And I’m trying anything I have to save Josie.” 

“Your loyalty to her is unreal.” For a moment Freya seemed to put aside the anger and looked at Hope almost in admiration. 

Hope didn’t say anything, she didn’t even look at her. She kept her gaze down as if trying to hide her feelings was of some use, but it wasn’t. It was pretty obvious for everyone by now. 

“I’m gonna go talk to Lizzie.” 

Two hours later Hope was with Lizzie in her room explaining to her everything that happened since she died. 

“I’m not sure of how much help I can be but sure, let’s save my diabolical sister.”

“Lizzie it’s serious.”

“I know. I’m just..I know I have a part in this. Most of her anger is directed at me. How do you think she will react?”

“I think that the anger is exactly what will bring her out. You’re still her sister, no matter how much problems there were between you two, if she listens to what you have to say, I trust she will come out.”

“And then what?” 

“We make sure she’s still there. If she is, we’ll skip part one of the plan and go straight to the second part. Take Clarke and transfer the dark magic in him.” 

“This sounds like a suicidal mission to me.”

“Isn’t she worth the risk?” 

Lizzie looked at her and smiled tenderly. “Of course she is.” 

Hope smiled back. Therefore they informed Freya and the others of their plan. After everything Freya thought it was best to follow Hope’s instinct. If there was anyone who could come up with anything good to bring Josie back, it was her.


	13. You took my heart

Josie was walking quietly in the woods looking for ingredients she needed for her spells. The day was sunny but the air was freezing. 

Josie heard a squirrel ready to jump from one tree to another, but before he could land on the other she snapped his neck with a twist of her hand and made the poor animal fall on the grass. She smiled amused and got closer to pick it up and take a look at it.

She took out her knife and cut the squirrel in two in order to take out what she needed. Suddenly she spoke out loud.

“Are you here to do as I asked, Hope?” 

She dropped the squirrel and turned around with a satisfied look on her face, placed the basket on the ground and took out a napkin to clean her hands soaked in blood.

Hope appeared from behind a tree distant from her. She figured it was best to take precautions and not be too close to her. 

“Still a no.”

Josie sighs in frustration and crosses her arms on her chest, waiting for Hope to talk.

“Quick Hope, I don’t have all day.” 

Suddenly Lizzie appeared next to Hope, looking at Josie with a bit of uncertainty.

“Hey Jo.”

Josie’s expression changed. She was surprised but also angry. And Hope took it as a good thing. 

“How is she here?” 

“I brought her back. I think this rings a bell on you, no?” 

“She’s nothing to me.”

“To you. But to Josie...”

“I AM JOSIE!” She screamed full of anger. Her breathing accelerated.

“Jo? I’m sorry for making your life so..miserable? I think. I didn’t realize I was hurting you so many times. I was selfish, I know this. But you know I love you and I would do anything for you. You’re my sister. My twin. My best friend. So please just...tell me you’re in here. Tell me you forgive me.”

Josie fell on her knees groaning and holding her head in her hands. She fought for a while trying to stay in control until she calmed down and raised her head at the sky, her eyes closed, taking a deep breath. 

When she opened her eyes Hope and Lizzie were waiting for the worst but also hoping for the best. Josie’s expression was disoriented. Her eyes first fell on Lizzie.

“Lizzie?”

Lizzie smiled widely and happily and tried to approach her slowly. “I’m here. Hope brought me back.”

Josie moved her gaze to Hope who was looking at her with teary eyes. She smiled between tears as Josie did the same. 

“She did, didn’t she?” She said with a soft voice.

“You’re you..you didn’t let her win.”

“I didn’t. But..” She sighed heavily and looked at Lizzie and then at Hope with pleading eyes. “I’m so tired..Hope. It’s so..hard. I don’t know how much longer I can take it..”

Hope shook her head and rushed to take Josie’s hands in hers. “Josie no. You can’t give up. We’re so close. We have the spell, we just need some place to put it in. Okay?” 

Josie smiled softly at her. She wanted to tell her how grateful she was for everything she’s done until now, but she knew she wouldn’t survive this. 

“Hope..I’m so sorry for what I did to you.”   
She cried more.

“It’s okay. You didn’t do it. I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”

“There’s something you need to know..” She started fighting again to keep control.

“Josie?”

“The ancestors..they..made a deal with Clarke. He..took your blood, Davina’s and Freya’s..” she groaned more. “They...linked your life to mine. You have to break the link.” 

“What? Why? Josie why would they link us to you?” 

She screamed in pain and then rolled her eyes which turned black. She sighed and calmed down. Hope quickly took Lizzie and moved far away from Josie. Hope whispered to Lizzie to go and hide in the cabin and wait for her while she dealt with Josie.

“I think that was enough. I trust you two said your goodbyes. Right?” She smiled wickedly.

Suddenly someone with vampire speed passed behind Josie and then stops in front of her putting chains around her wrist to block her magic. She tries to break them but she can’t. 

Hope looks at this vampire she doesn’t even know. 

“What are you doing?! Who are you?”

“Oh don’t mind him love, he’s just following orders.” 

Clarke appeared from behind a tree walking nonchalantly towards Josie. 

“Here you are. I looked for you everywhere. You sure are hard to find.” 

Josie tried to attack him but he paralyzed her with a spell.

“Oh oh, nono. Be good. Stay there.” Then he turned to Hope. “Thank you very much for your service baby Mikaelson. If you’ll excuse us, we have a deal to close.” 

“No!” 

He knocked his fingers and disappeared bringing Josie with him. Hope quickly ran to the cabin to find Lizzie and go back to the city to tell her aunt it was time to go.   
Meanwhile Davina would make sure to break the linking spell and Kol would help her.

Hope thought that the only place they could be was the cemetery, so they went straight there.

Meanwhile Clarke and Josie were already there. Clarke waiting patiently for Kara Nguyen to show up.

“Finally. Here she is. The pretty sacrificial lamb. Let’s get this over with so I can have what I finally deserve.”

“You mean a tragic end? Because believe me that’s what you’re going to get.” 

Rebekah said from the top of a crypt. Soon followed by Marcel, Freya and Hope, who surrounded him from all ways. He laughed amused.

“That’s so flattering, really. I didn’t need this much of an audience. But you see, I’m not that alone.”

Suddenly a crowd of witches appeared placing themselves behind him. Hope and the rest of them were shocked at the sight of the entire coven siding with him.

“That’s not possible. They can’t follow you. Vincent..”

“Vincent Griffith is no longer the reagent. The ancestors took care of him.” 

“Why do they trust you so much?” 

“Because I’m giving them what they want. Power.” He pointed at Josie. “And your family extinction.” 

“Technically we’re still here.” 

“Not for long.” 

He took a knife and put it around Josie’s throat. Hope instantly moved to jump and stop him but before she could the coven of witches pulled her back. 

As soon as Rebekah and Marcel tried to fight them a group of witches started to hold them down with a spell, breaking their bones. 

“Stop it! Just stop it!” 

“Oh I’m sorry love. You have to admit it. Being a tribrid didn’t turn out so well, did it? In the end, magic can bend down anyone. Even you!” He laughed amused. 

Freya tried to take away his knife but as she did other witches started attacking her, making her scream in pain and her eyes bleed.

Clarke took back the knife and put it around Josie’s throat. Hope was crying while trying to fight the spell of the witches holding her back. 

“Don’t touch her! There’s no point in it!”

“Of course there’s a point! She dies, I am the next leader of the Gemini coven!” 

Hope smiles weakly. “No you won’t be. Lizzie Saltzman will.” 

Clarke’s face tensed. He became angrier than before. He wasn’t sure of what she had done, but he wouldn’t miss the chance of winning.

He tightened his hold around Josie’s head and put the knife on her throat, slitting her throat from side to side. 

“No! NO! What did you do?! What did you do!” Hope screamed like she never had before. She was crying desperately while Clarke and the rest of the coven disappeared quickly, leaving them all there. 

Hope quickly ran to Josie and held her head on her lap. She wasn’t breathing anymore. 

“No..no. Josie please.”

“Hope..she’s gone.”

“No..no.” She was sobbing desperately, unable to leave her. 

At the same time Davina arrived and froze looking at the scene. Her and Freya shared a look and then she glanced at Josie again. 

“She saved us. She warned us about the link..she knew this was gonna happen.”

“Aunt Davina?” Hope looked at her with puffy eyes. “Please.” 

“Hope I don’t know if we can..”

“You don’t get it? They will shred her into pieces! They wanted her power and now they have it!” 

Davina knew what Josie had to go through. She went through it herself and she didn’t want it to happen. 

“To the sanctuary. Now.”

Davina set everything they needed to bring Josie back. She placed her body in the middle of the circle of salt and kneeled down. She took Freya’s hand and focused to do the spell.

“An Toi Lem, Briggitte Bratti..An Toi Lem, Briggitte Bratti..An Toi Lem, Briggitte Bratti..An Toi Lem, Briggitte Bratti...” They stopped for a moment but nothing was happening.

“Why isn’t it working!?”

“I can’t feel her.”

Hope shook her head in denial and watched Josie’s dead body laying on the ground. 

“No..she can’t. No!” She kicked the gate and took a deep breath, looking ad Davina. “Keep trying.” 

“Where are you going? Hope!” 

Hope didn’t turn around. She just left to go find Clarke, wherever he was now. She couldn’t think about anything but find him right now. Luckily she knew exactly where she would find him. 

Clarke was on the back of Rousseau’s collecting his things and giving orders to his minions on what to do. While he was getting in the car someone took him and threw him against the garbage cans.

He laughed amused while he tried to get up, coughing and holding his stomach. 

“Did you come here to say goodbye? How sweet.” 

Hope grabs him again, this time by his jacket and throws him against the wall. 

“You have no idea what you’ve brought on yourself.” 

“Oh dear, your girlfriend was as good as dead anyway. Collateral damages happen.” 

Suddenly Rebekah appeared with her vampire speed and put the same chains he put on Josie to block his magic. This time he wasn’t laughing anymore.

Hope walked closer to him and grabbed him by his throat, chocking him slowly. 

“You don’t laugh anymore, do you?” 

On the contrary he did. “I heard stories about your father, you know? I think I even met him once. The Greatest Evil. You look so much like him right now.” 

Hope held her grab around his throat and her face tightened even more. 

“Hope? Listen to me. Let me do it. You don’t have to.” 

“Listen to your sweet auntie Hope. Don’t get your hands dirty.” 

“Do you really think I care about my integrity?” Hope got closer to him, with her face a few inches from his. “You killed her.” 

Rebekah got chills over her body. She didn’t want to say it but right now she could see and hear her brother in Hope. 

“She wouldn’t want this Hope. Let it go.”

“Yes Hope. Let me go.” 

Suddenly Hope sinks her hand in his chest to reach his heart. Clarke’s face changed and groaned in pain. Blood starting falling from his mouth.

“You..took my heart. And now I’ve come to repay you.” 

She tore his heart out without a second thought, leaving him dead on the ground and dropping his heart over him. Then she walked away carelessly under Rebekah’s shocked gaze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments to let me know if you like the story. <33


	14. I am the threat

Rebekah reached for Hope before she could go away. 

“Hope! Stop.”

Hope raised her gaze to look at her. Her eyes looked empty. Rebekah sighed and felt her heart break looking at her like that.

“Hope, we’re gonna bring her back. It wasn’t impossible for Davina, it won’t be for her either.” 

“I don’t know if you remember this, but usually when I lose someone, I lose them for good.” 

“Don’t say that.” 

“Leave me alone.” 

“Hope!”

“I said leave me alone!” She was so out of control that with her magic she threw her a few feet away making her crush into a car door. 

Rebekah looked at her with both shock and worry. Hope was lashing out too much and it wasn’t good. 

“Hope..you have to stay in control, okay?”

“I’m done..staying in control.” Her anger was growing stronger just like her pain. 

“No! Hope! Look at me! Hey!” She yanked her to get her attention but her gaze was lost.

“I don’t want to feel like this.” Silent tears were falling on her cheeks now. 

“I know baby, I know. But you can’t do this.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“Hope..” 

Her gaze was suddenly fixed to a firm point. One last tear fell down before she looked at Rebekah again, this time her expression was dull. 

“It’s a shame she’s not here anymore. We could’ve run the city.” 

She turned around and left with her vampire speed. Rebekah was panicking and worried about what she was going to do next. There was no way they could reach Hope unless they brought Josie back. 

She took her phone and called Freya. “Freya? We have a problem.” 

“What do you mean she turned off her humanity?!” Freya screamed.

“I tried to stop her! I tried to talk her out of it but she wouldn’t listen! She..she was devastated Freya.”

“She can’t stay like this. This could ruin her. This..”

“Would make her just like Nik, you mean?” Rebekah bursted out. Freya just looked at her with a tight expression. 

“You two now stop it. She is still our Hope, whether she has her humanity on or off. She won’t go around hurting people.” Keelin said.

“Keelin you don’t understand..she has no humanity. She will just go savage and probably on a killing spree just because she acts like a vampire.” 

“I will try to reach her.” Rebekah said pretty determined.

“How?”

“I’ll try to make her see that a life like this is not worth it. Meanwhile, you have to do everything you can to bring that girl back or I swear I will go to the ancestors myself and tear their spirit apart.” She quickly left the room to go find Hope, wherever she could be. 

Hope closed the car door and started heading to the bar next the gas station. A police officer focused on her and walked over her to talk.

“Excuse me Miss? Is that your car?”

Hope looked at him with a hint of confidence in her tone and a fake smile. “Yes officer. Take care of it while I’m inside, would you?” She started walking away.

“How old are you? May I see your license and ID please?” 

Hope sighed heavily and also got easily irritated by his questions. She turned around already with her teeth out and jumped on his neck, drinking his blood until she dropped him dead on the ground.

She passed a finger on her bottom lip and sucked the blood on it.

“I must have left it at home.” 

She walked over the bar again but this time Rebekah appeared, blocking the door. Hope sighed and rolled her eyes annoyed.

“Hello. Do you want a burger? Because I would kill to have one now.” 

“Stop it Hope. Once you’ve had that burger you’ll probably kill everyone in there just for fun. I can’t let you do that.”

“Who said I’m gonna kill everyone? The cook maybe, if my burger sucks, but not everyone.”

“How nice. Do you even hear yourself?” 

“I’m not hungry anymore.” She walked away and headed to her car. 

“Fine! Tell me what do you wanna do today, you want to go on a killing spree? We can have fun your way then!”

She turned around and smiled in a weird creepy way, Rebekah thought.

“I like the spirit. Let’s go auntie.” 

“Lizzie, are you sure you can do this?” Freya asked her.

“Yes. I’m not scared.”

“I will come with you since I know what dangers you’re going to face, okay?” Davina told her.

“Okay. How does this work again?”

“Both of you will drink this poison and I will cut your palm. The poison will stop your heart from beating. Then both of you hold my hand and close your eyes and you wake up there.”

“Wait so I have to die?! Again?? Oh god.”

“You’re not really dying. I will keep you anchored to the living as long as I hold your hand. It will be fine, I promise.” Freya hoped Lizzie would trust her, because if not, she didn’t know what other way to do this. 

All three of them sat down in the circle of salt. Both Lizzie and Davina drank the poison and then Freya cut both of their palms. She took their hands while Lizzie and Davina lied down and closed their eyes. 

Meanwhile Hope and Rebekah were in the middle of the woods and they had just finished draining out of their blood some camping guys. 

Rebekah looked around her counting the dead. She sighed and looked at herself, her mouth and hands covered in blood. She almost felt sick although it’s not like she’s never done this, but now she would never hurt humans, and yet she did.

She was doing it because of Hope. She was doing it to prove a point.   
Meanwhile Hope had just finished killing the last one of them. She looked at Rebekah with blood all around her mouth.

“Are you happy now?” Rebekah asked.

“Happy seems a little too much. Satisfied? Maybe.”

“Hope, there’s no point in this, can’t you see it? You were hurting and you needed to hurt. You need to feel that pain!”

Suddenly Rebekah found herself with her back against the tree, Hope holding her by her neck, making it hard to breathe. 

“It’s nice of you to try to give me a motivational speech. But I don’t need it. I’m doing just fine.” Her eyes were unexpressive and she sounded almost emotionless. But in fact she kinda was. 

“Hope..She loved you. She wouldn’t want you to do this.”

“She...isn’t here to stop me from doing it, is she?” She whispered a few inches from Rebekah’s face, then she abruptly let her go and started walking away.

“Hope. Don’t make me say things I don’t want to say to make you see how wrong this is.”

“You don’t need to say it, because it’s written all over your face.” She smiled devilishly. “I’m acting like my father. And you’re so scared to see your precious, innocent, pure niece to become the monster your brother always was.” She paused. “But guess what? I’m not innocent. I’m not pure. I’ve made plenty of mistakes. Amongst them, the death of my friend, my mother, my father...”

“You’re not responsible for them, Hope.”

“Stop saying that!” She screamed with rage. “Wherever I go, death follows me. I am a Mikaelson after all, what did you expect? I was never this miracle baby everyone thought I was. This..hope, you all thought I was. I’ve always been a problem and a threat for all our family’s enemies. But you know what changed now?”

“What?”

She smiled confident and devilishly. “I will make their fears true. They thought I was a threat, right? Well, I’m gonna start acting like one.” 

Suddenly she disappeared. 

“Hope?...Hope!” 

Rebekah sighed and stood there almost defeated. This was going to be harder than she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooah 😱🙈 Too much?


	15. Josie is the only hope

Lizzie and Davina opened their eyes and looked around them. There was Freya holding their hands, their bodies lying in the circle. 

“Let’s go. The sooner we find her, the better.” Davina said exciting the sanctuary.

“What if they got to her first?” Lizzie said feeling more scared for her sister than herself.

“Josie is strong, I’m sure she’s here somewhere. But we have to be careful. The ancestors can’t see us here.”

They were walking into the city making sure no one could see them. The French Quarter was empty and dark, the fog filling the air. 

“Do you hear that?” Lizzie asked while she tensed for a moment.

“It’s them. We can’t stay here. Come with me.” 

Hope was in the courtyard of the compound sitting comfortably on the sofa and her feet on the coffee table, probably writing or sketching something. 

Rebekah was almost surprised to see her there.

“What are you doing here?”

Hope looked at her with an obvious face. “I live here.”

“I figured you were out killing off your list of threats.”

“Oh I could need one of that, if you don’t mind.”

Rebekah shook her head and started growing inpatient. “No, Hope. I’m not giving you a list. I said you have to stop this. They’re looking for Josie as we speak.”

“Good luck trying.” She kept her gaze down to her book. 

“Bloody hell.” She sighed heavily and turned around to see Kol walking in.

“How’s my favorite niece doing?” He said almost fearing her reaction, but still tried to treat her as always.

“Great. Thanks for asking.”

He and Rebekah shared a look. Then he tried again. “Hey Hope, what do you say if we go grab something to drink and then you tell me what else we can do.”

Hope raised her gaze to look at him and instantly closed the book, smiling at him. “I would love to.” 

After a few minutes they were at Rousseau’s sitting by the counter and having drinks.

“Do you like it better like this? With no humanity?”

“Actually, yes. It’s liberating to be honest. I don’t get why you’re all so desperate to bring that back.” She raised ber eyebrows in annoyance and then took a sip of her drink. 

“Don’t you think that living like this isn’t worth it? I mean..there was a time I had lost Davina too. And the worst thing was that I had killed her, but I didn’t do what you did.”

“What makes you say that I didn’t kill her?” She laughed creepily. “I play my part in everything.” 

“Hope, even if she stays dead for good, do you really want to live your entire life without feeling anything but rage? Because I did for a while, but it was useless.”

She turned her gaze to look at him with a serious face. “What’s going to take to make you see that..I...don’t care.” 

She closed her hand in a fist casting a silent spell to make him fall asleep. 

Lizzie and Davina were hiding in a corner waiting the right moment to keep moving. Suddenly a voice scared them.

“Davina?”

She turned around and widened her eyes. “Vincent! You’re here. I’m so sorry for what happened.”

“We don’t have time for this. You need to leave Davina here’s not safe.”

“We’re not leaving until I find my sister.”

“Josie? They killed Josie?” 

“Yes.” 

He sighed and tried to think fast. “Where would she go if she wanted to feel safe?”

“I don’t know...the Mikaelsons? A bar? I know nothing about this city.” 

“A bar...of course! The Rousseau’s. She must be there.” Davina said.

“All right. You two go, I’ll watch your back. But be fast Davina.”

They quickly run to Rousseau’s and locked the door. 

“Josie? Are you here?” Lizzie called at her. 

And she did was there. She got up from behind the counter and felt safe for a moment, just knowing her sister was there with her. She run into her arms to hold her tight. “I’m so sorry we didn’t save you Jo.”

“It’s okay Lizzie. It wasn’t your fault. Nor Hope’s.” 

Lizzie looked down with a sad face and Josie felt like something was wrong.

“What’s going on? Why..where is Hope?” 

“She couldn’t be here.” 

“What do you mean she couldn’t? Is she okay?” 

Lizzie held her hands to calm her down. “Can we talk about this later? Jo, we came for you. We tried to bring you back but we couldn’t find you.”

“I’ve been hiding here until now.”

“Josie, you have to come with us to the cemetery. As soon as we’re back in the world of the living we’ll do the spell to bring you back.” 

“They will find me there!”

“No they won’t.” Vincent came in breathing heavily. 

“I am coming with you. I will protect you until they’re ready to bring you back.”

“Vincent are you sure?” Davina asked him.

“Let’s do this.”

Marcel stormed in into the compound while Rebekah was drinking a glass of win3 mixed with blood.

“She killed two of my guys! She just went in, picked a fight and ripped their heart out with a spell!”

Rebekah was not even surprised anymore. “She’s done worse, trust me.”

“Are you really going to seat here while she’s out there killing people?!”

She hit her hands on the table and raised her voice. “I’ve been trying Marcel! Okay?! There’s no way of going through her. She’s determined to stay like this!”

“We are her family Rebekah. There’s no way we can’t get through her.” 

“Yeah well, 2/6 of us already failed. Now you try.” 

Rebekah walked away to see if Freya had finally found a solution. If there was someone that could make Hope come back, it was Josie.


	16. It’s going to be okay

“They’re here! Davina!” Lizzie told her panicking. 

“Stay close. We’re almost there.” 

They entered the sanctuary while Vincent stayed outside keeping an eye if the ancestors arrived.

Josie looked at Lizzie’s and Davina’s body laying down in the circle and Freya in the middle. She felt scared of whatever was happening right now. 

Before laying down Lizzie cupped her cheeks in her hands. “We will bring you back in a flash. I promise.”

Josie smiled. “I love you.”

Lizzie smiled too. “I love you too. I’ll see you in a bit.” 

After a few seconds both Lizzie and Davina were back in the world of the living. They were gasping for air while Freya looked at them hopeful.

“Did you find her?”

“Yes. She’s here. We have to do the spell now!”

They took Josie’s body and lied her down in the circle as Freya casted the spell and Lizzie was sitting on the ground holding Josie’s head in her lap.

“Phasmatos revenios un Animum. Phasmatos revenios un Animum. Phasmatos revenios un Animum.. Phasmatos revenios un Animum.“ 

Suddenly Josie opened her eyes and gasped for air, holding her throat with a hand, probably remembering the pain of the knife slitting her throat.” 

Lizzie smiled and hug her tight to her chest. “You’re here. You’re safe.” 

Both Davina and Freya finally relaxed and let out a deep breath. Freya smiled softly at Josie meeting her gaze.

“Where’s Hope?”

Suddenly her smile disappeared and everyone went quiet. Josie looked at all of them starting to worry.

“Lizzie?”

“Hope is not herself right now.” Freya said. 

“What do you mean?”

“She..shut off her humanity.”

She almost lost a breath hearing that. “What?”

“She is out of control..you’re the only one who can bring her back Josie.” 

After the shock of the first moment Josie nodded and got up fast. “Let’s go find her.”

Meanwhile Keelin, Kol, Rebekah and Marcel were at the compound worried about where Hope could be. 

There was an actual storm out there and even the courtyard was almost flooded. 

“She could be anywhere. We could locate her but Freya is still at the cemetery.”

“Wait..is that her?” 

They all tried to see from behind the glass down the courtyard. Rebekah got suddenly so angry because of how worried she was that she walked out under the pouring rain to give her a lesson. 

With vampire speed she grabbed Hope by her jacket and raised her from the ground, holding her up in the air. “You can’t ever..disappear like that again. Do you understand me?!”

Hope hit her hands and jumped back with her feet on the ground, her hair soaked wet just like all her clothes. 

“Don’t worry, you can still be sure I’m always coming home, despite the fact that you can’t stand the sight of me.”

“That’s not true! I’m your aunt, I love you no matter what.”

“And yet you’re trying to change me because you can’t really love me like this.”

“Your father did even worse to me and I still loved him, there’s nothing you can do that can make me love you less Hope.”

Suddenly she took out a dagger from her jacket. Rebekah looked at her in shock and went a few steps back. 

“I really don’t want to do this. But I can’t keep having people despising me around. But see I am not my dad so I will ask you for consent auntie Bex.”

The rain was still pouring down and the thunder were stronger than before. 

“Would you like to take a nap?” She said smiling and walking closer to her while Rebekah walked backwards.

“Hope..don’t do this. I will stop...okay? Just..don’t use the dagger, please.”

“Wow. That was easy.” She laughed. But then her look turned angry again. “Too easy.” 

She ran to her and surrounded Rebekah with one arm from behind her back and raised her hand to sink in the dagger when a voice hidden in the rain called at her.

“Hope!” 

She suddenly froze and looked ahead of her, still holding Rebekah. She saw four people coming towards her but there was one she wasn’t sure she had recognized, but then she did. 

“Hope? Don’t hurt her. Please?” 

She dropped the dagger on the floor and let her hold on Rebekah. Her expression seemed to soften, even though no one could say if she was still dangerous.

“Josie?” Her voice was suddenly softer. Josie smiled between tears, the rain starting to cover all her clothes and hair too. 

“I’m here. Are you okay?”

“You’re not real.” She started breathing heavily and getting agitated, trying to resist. 

Josie walked over her and cupped her cheeks in her hands, forcing Hope to look at her. “Doesn’t this feel real?” 

Hope was lost in Josie’s eyes and kept breathing heavily. 

“Hope come back to me, please? Turn it on. Do it for me.” 

Josie could see the tears starting forming in her eyes despite the rain falling between them. 

“You..you’re here. You’re alive.” 

“I am.” 

Hope was now crying real tears and instantly crushed their lips together in a deep kiss. Her hands running through Josie’s hair and then her face, then around her waist to hold her closer. 

She was real. She was there and Hope was holding her. Now she was feeling like it was worth living again.

A few hours later, when everything was back into place and all was quiet, Hope walked into Rebekah’s room silently and her gaze down, feeling sorry and ashamed for everything she did to her.

Rebekah just stood there in silent, waiting for her to say something.

“I’m..so..sorry. I was horrible. I..tried to hurt you when you only wanted to help me and I just..hate myself for that.” 

“That’s too bad. Because I love you anyway.” She smiled softly while Hope had tears in her eyes.

“I’m really sorry.”

“Look Hope..it won’t be easy now. You have to learn to control yourself, your hunger, your emotions..”

“I know.” 

“But now Josie is here. She’s alive. So I won’t justify your behavior if not for heartbreak.”

She chuckled and nodded. “Okay.”

“Now go and be with her.” 

They shared a hug and then Hope left the room to go to Josie. Everything was going to be okay now. It had to.


	17. I’m here for you

It was early in the morning when Hope started to wake up slowly. She could see the sunlight slowly coming out, while the city was still silent. 

The only thing she felt was something moving behind her back and the blankets moving slowly. Then the feeling of a warm body against hers. 

She instantly smiled to herself and intertwined her hand with Josie’s, who smiled softly at the gesture while she made herself comfortable, sinking her face into Hope’s neck.

“What are you doing here?” Hope mumbled in a whisper, her eyes still closed.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Josie whispered too.

“What time is it?”

“Does it matter?” 

Hope sighed lightly and then pulled Josie even closer to her to feel her body completely against hers. 

“No.” 

They fell asleep again after not long and woke up only hours later at Rebekah screaming at them. 

“Hey! Wake up you two. We have things to do.” 

“Hmmm.” Both of them groaned. 

“Oh bloody hell.” She rested her hands on her hips looking at the two of them, thinking about a way to wake them.

Meanwhile Davina was walking past the room and saw Rebekah in.

“Rebekah? What are you doing?”

“Trying to wake them up.”

“Please leave them. They’re exhausted. You’ve been training them every day for a week.”

“So what?”

“I think they deserve a day off.” 

Rebekah sighed and gave a last glance at them before looking away.

“Fine. Let’s go eat all the beignets.” 

Davina smiled and whispered to Rebekah on the way out. “They’re so cute.”

Hope smiled at herself and finally started stretching herself and then turned on her left side to face Josie with her eyes still closed. 

“Wake up.” 

“I am awake.”

“We’re both cheaters. And liars.”

“I think she’s jealous.”

Hope chuckled and finally opened her eyes, but Josie’s were still closed. 

“What are you doing?” Josie mumbled.

“Admiring you.”

“As you should.” 

“Can you open your eyes now?”

Josie slowly opened her eyes and met Hope’s soft eyes staring at her. 

“Now I wish I opened them sooner.” 

“Oh god.” Hope started laughing amused. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“You’re cheesy. I didn’t think you could be cheesy.”

“I‘ll take it as a compliment.”

“It is.” 

“Good.”

“Can we go down please?” 

Josie widened her eyes in shock. “Excuse me?” 

Hope pressed her lips together and hit her on the arm. “Josie! I meant downstairs, to eat! I want beignets before they eat them all.”

“Well that’s disappointing.”

“Oh my god.” Hope turned around and got up putting a blanket on her shoulder before going downstairs. 

“Are you seriously leaving me here?” Hope didn’t answer and just left. “Hope!” 

When Hope arrived in the living room everyone were still there having breakfast. If only Josie could see the weird concept of breakfast for her uncle Kol, consisting in a cup of fresh human blood. 

“I kept you a few beignets.” Keelin whispered to her ear.

“You’re my favorite.” Keelin left a kiss on her forehead while Rebekah gave Hope a death stare.

“That’s what I get for raising you on my own for eight months and loving you through all these years?”

“That’s what you get for waking me up and ruining my sleep. And for eating my beignets.” 

“Ungrateful, that’s what you are.”

Right in that moment Josie came down and went to seat between Freya and Hope. Ignoring her on purpose. 

Hope noticed she was pretending to be mad at her and smiled at herself before looking down the table and reaching for Josie’s hand, holding it close to her lap.

At that point Josie looked at her and smiled tenderly. She gave up quickly.

“Hope, are you coming with me to the gym today?” Marcel asked her.

“Yeah sure. Just let me get changed and we can go.”

“Josie and I will practice some magic while you’re gone.” Freya told her.

“Alright.” Hope got up and placed a kiss on Josie’s head before leaving. 

Meanwhile Josie got distracted by a red spot on Kol’s mouth, right after he drank from his cup. He noticed Josie watching him.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“What do you think it is?”

“I think it is what I think it is and not what you think I think it is.” 

“What do I think you think it is?” 

“I THINK THAT’S ENOUGH.” Rebekah screamed at both of them. “This is hell. I’m out of here.” She got up and left the room under Josie’s and Kol’s amused laughs. 

Meanwhile Hope was with Marcel at the gym, punching the bag while Marcel held it steady.

“How are you dealing with your vampire side?”

“Fine, I think.” She throws a punch and then another.

“What about the hunger?” 

Hope stopped for a moment to look at him. “It’s fine.” And then punched the bag again. 

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” 

Marcel decided to let go and go on with their training. 

After the training Hope walked home by herself and as soon as she got out of the gym she stopped in a corner to take out a bag of blood and drink it ferociously. 

After it she seemed to want more, so she took the second one and drank it too. 

“It must be really difficult to control, isn’t it?” 

Hope looked in the direction of the voice, still gasping heavily, too upset to be even shocked about the person standing in front of her right now. It was Esther in flesh and blood.

“It’s not possible.”

She laughed amused. “Oh sweetie, don’t you know by now? Magic can everything.” 

“Why?” 

“Why am I here you mean? For my family, of course. See I tried so hard with them back in the days, when you were still in your mother’s womb. But they rejected me, over and over again.”

“They must have had their reasons.” 

“Why? Why hate a mother who only wants what is good for their children?” She paused. “...for you?” 

“Me?”

“You are my granddaughter after all, Hope. I loved Niklaus despite of what he did to me, I cannot hate you. You’re not responsible for his crimes.” 

Hope looked suspiciously at her, still listening.

“All I’ve ever wanted is help them. Give them their mortal life back, free them from the misery of immortality and this silliness of ‘Always and Forever.’”

“People should be able to make their own choices. You can’t push them to do what you want because you think it’s best for them.”

“Sadly there are things that we think we can control. It’s in our blood. Trying to take decisions for the people we love because of our desperate need to protect them. You’ll see it one day.” 

She looked at the empty blood bag in Hope’s hands and then back at her, walking closer to her.

“You can have it too. A mortal life. Be only a witch like me, like Freya.” 

“See, that’s the point. You expect someone to agree with you when all you aim to do is deny them of their true nature. Just like you did with my father.”

“Oh Hope, I wronged your father. That’s true. But I made my mistake long before that. When I turned all of my children into monsters.”

“I’m sick of hearing this.” Hope walked away to leave. 

“You know I’m right Hope. And you won’t be able to control your hunger. It’ll drive you insane, make you feel like a monster, like you don’t deserve nor compassion or love. You already did unspeakable things while you had your humanity off. What do you think you will do next?” 

Hope stopped for a moment, her face tense and her look full of anger, but she didn’t look back and started walking away again.

“You’ll know that soon enough.” Esther whispered to herself.

Meanwhile at the compound Josie and Freya were practicing magic. A circle of salt was on the ground and Freya instructed her to set it on fire.

“Phasmatus Ignitium Dos Ex Salvo, Phasmatis Ignitium Dos On Salvo, Phasmatis Ignitium Dos On Salvo...” 

Suddenly a high fire raised from the ground. Josie looked at it enchanted. It was exciting and fascinating for her.

“Now turn it off Josie.” Freya said.

“Suctus Incendia.” She whispered. 

Suddenly the fire went out leaving only the burnt salt on the floor.

“That’s good. You were able to control it, it’s progress.”

“But I almost set you on fire in the process.”

“Baby steps.” Freya smiled at her and Josie smiled back. 

Meanwhile Hope was just entering the compound, her mind clearly elsewhere since she didn’t even look at them in the corner. Josie called her out.

“Hope!” 

Hope was suddenly brought back from her thoughts and looked at Josie with a look that showed clearly how upset she was, but Hope was quick to hide it with a soft smile.

“Hey. You’re here.”

“We’re just finished. She’s a fast learner.” Freya smiled at Hope and she smiled back.

“I didn’t doubt that.” 

Then Freya went upstairs leaving them alone. Josie studied Hope’s face for a moment, noticing something off with her.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah of course. I’m just tired.”

“You can’t get tired.”

“Yes I can.”

“Okay. So I guess you won’t be up to spending some of your free time with me?” 

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you’re tired and being with me requires strength?” 

Hope chuckled and smiled at her. Josie could swear that every time Hope smiled at her she smiled not only with her lips but also with her eyes. They become so small it was insane. 

“I will never be that tired to refuse spending time with you.”

“Good. Because I want to teach you how to play my ukulele.”

“You want what now?” 

“Hope!” 

“Okay, okay fine. I’m coming.” 

She smiled and got up slowly, letting Josie take her hand to drag her upstairs.


	18. Just a bad dream

It was the middle of the night, everyone was asleep. At least Hope thought so. She woke up with a terrible pain in her stomach, the hunger of blood overwhelming her again. 

With her vampire speed she went down the compound and right on the street, her pupils red and black veins around her eyes.  
She was looking for a victim, for someone to drain blood from, and soon she found it. 

There were two girls and a guy walking in the corner to get their car right next the sidewalk.

“That drink sucked. I regret even paying for it.” One of the girls said.

“Mine was so good. I told you not to drink whiskey. Bourbon is New Orleans specialty.”

“That’s true.” A stranger voice got in the middle of their conversation. The three of them turning around to look at Hope. “But I prefer Bloody Mary.” 

She quickly grabbed the girls hair to sink her teeth into her neck and drain her blood in a matter of seconds. Meanwhile the other girl started screaming while the boy was walking backwards to try to run away without her noticing.

She quickly drained the other girl from her blood and let out a gasp of pleasure, licking the rest of the blood from her fingers and then looking dangerously at the guy still staring at her scared.

“Where are you going? I want round three.” She kept walking slowly towards him. “Don’t worry. I’ll help myself.” 

She used her vampire speed to reach him and sink her teeth in his neck, while he screamed in pain. This time Hope didn’t leave the hold until the guy was completely drained. 

After she was finally full, her eyes went back to normal while her breathing was still heavy. She frowned and looked at her hands and then on the ground. 

“What..” She turned around and saw other two bodies. “No no no...” 

She gasped for air, panicking and not knowing what to do. Suddenly a voice appeared behind her.

“Do you need some help Hope?”

Esther was looking at her almost with pity. She looked pathetic, she knew it. A tribrid who wasn’t able to control the hunger? It felt just absurd. But she couldn’t let her family know about this. That she fed on humans until she killed them.

“Please.” She couldn’t think about pride now. She needed all of this to disappear. 

“Go home Hope. Clean yourself up. Meanwhile I’ll take care of this.” 

Hope just looked at her, deciding to trust she would do it. She disappeared faster than she could and went back home.

*** She was slowly waking up, feeling the warmth of a body next to her, reaching for her and kissing her neck gently.  
She opened her eyes and turned around to see Josie smiling at her. She kept kissing her gently, then Hope grabbed her to close the distance between their bodies, causing Josie to gasp in the kiss.  
Suddenly Hope was on top of her, leaving a trail of kisses on her neck. She started gasping heavily, the beating of Josie’s heart getting stronger to her hearing.  
Her teeth came out and suddenly all she wanted to do was bite her, drain her of her blood. She sinked her teeth while Josie kept gasping and humming, but not screaming. This made Hope go on and keep sucking her blood, until she was done and faced Josie under her. Her eyes open and steady. She was not moving nor breathing anymore. “Josie? Josie!” ***

“Hope? Hope wake up. Hope!”

Hope’s eyes widened and she instantly sat down on the bed, breathing heavily and trying to understand what just happened. She looked at Josie to her side who was staring at her concerned. 

“It was a bad dream. It’s okay.”

“You..” She whispered, still gasping for air.

“What?”

Hope took a deep breath and decided to calm down since she didn’t want Josie to know what it was. She smiled forcedly at her.

“Yeah. Just a bad dream.” 

“Your uncle wants to take me to ‘have some fun’ today. Should I trust him?”

“You’re not going anywhere alone with him.”

Josie chuckled. “Is he that irresponsible?”

“He’s not. But usually troubles find him.”

“I think I’ll go.”

“Fine. But if you come back home with a broken bone I’m lashing out at both of you.”

“Good thing he can heal me before you know then.” She winked at her making her smile. Then she got up and went to her room.

Hope sighed and suddenly her mood changed again. She was still thinking about what happened the night before, and about her nightmare. What if Josie was really there next to her? What if she couldn’t stop herself from hurting her?

She needed to be alone today, so she decided to go out and don’t tell where she was going. She wanted to fix it and quickly.

Meanwhile Josie and Kol were heading out when Davina bumped into them.

“Where are you two going?”

“Out?”

“You and Josie alone?”

“Yes?” Kol answered with an obvious tone.

“No way. I’m coming with you.”

“Really?! Shouldn’t you all trust I keep her safe by now?”

“Two is better.” Davina smiled nicely.

“I don’t need protection. Can you all stop pretending like I do?”

Davina sighed and decided to let go.

“You’re right. Sorry. Go and have fun, okay?” 

They both smiled and left the compound.

They were heading through the woods and chatting when Josie stopped to pick up a dead flower and revive it.

“Belle la vie a cette fleur, maintentant.” 

Suddenly the flower was alive again. She smiled satisfied and put it behind her ear, still looking around.

“Can I ask you something?” Kol said.

“You just did.”

“Shouldn’t you be on your way home by now?”

Josie looked down and kept silent, so Kol spoke again.

“Don’t get me wrong. We love you. But we thought you only wanted to fix the dark magic problem and get out of here?” 

“That was the original plan, yes.”

“And the present plan?”

“I honestly don’t know.” 

“You don’t want to leave because of Hope?”

She sighed. “She...said that once everything was over she would come with me to Mystic Falls, but I don’t know if she really wants to now.” 

“So you’re staying here for her?”

“Yes..I mean no. I have to learn to control my magic, I still need Freya.”

“But..you literally have a school for that. To learn about magic.”

Josie couldn’t argue with that. Honestly she didn’t known what else to say because he was right. But she didn’t really think about it until now. She was just fine living there, she liked it. She loved the Mikaelsons and she loved Hope. It was enough for her. 

Suddenly a wooden stake flew across the air and crossed Kol’s stomach, making him groan in pain and kneel down on the ground.

“Oh my god! Are you okay?” Josie rushed to help him when someone appeared in front of them.

“Kol Mikaelson. Not the member I was looking for but I’ll take it.”

He groaned and looked at her with a hateful look. “Aurora.” 

“Glad to see you remember me. Almost 20 years under a sleeping spell. I was getting bored of living in a fairytale world.” 

Josie was looking at her quite scared. Just then Aurora noticed her. “Oh hello dear. You must be Kalus’s daughter?” 

“She’s not. Leave her alone.” 

“Oh. You’re another Mikaelson victim, aren’t you? Poor girl. You’ll soon become expandable. Who gets close to the Mikaelson always is. If you’re not family, you’re nothing.”

“She is family.”

“Like Marcel? Who you always used as your personal puppet? Believe me dear, you better run far away from this family.” 

Josie was still silent, while Kol managed to take out the stake from his stomach and get up.

“What do you want Aurora?”

“Easy. Your family took away everything from me. I would like to say I will spare Rebekah, but I can’t show mercy on any of you. Not when none of you showed it for my brother.” 

“Good luck trying. You have nothing but yourself to use against us.”

“I wouldn’t be sure about that.” She paused and looked at Josie. “You tricked the ancestors dear. They will come for you.” 

“Let them try.” Josie said with a hint of anger. 

Aurora smiled at Josie in a challenging way, then she disappeared in a second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to bring back another great villain:D Well at least for me she was.  
> Since it’s my birthday I’ll be the one making you a gift and post three chapters 👀 get ready.


	19. “Hope..what did you do?”

That same night, when Josie and Kol were on their way home, Josie knew that what Aurora said could be true. She had, after all, escaped her fate by luck, and if she had learned something from the ancestors was that they always tried to get what they wanted.

“Kol? Can you do me a favor?”

“Oh I know what you’re about to ask. And the answer is no.”

“Please...”

“No, Josie. Look, I like you, but when the ancestors are in the middle of things you can’t underestimate it. You need witch help. You need Freya and Davina. And you need to tell Hope.” 

She sighed and shook her head. 

“Alright. But I will.”

“Okay.” 

Meanwhile Hope was in her room, painting. She was trying to take her mind off of things letting her feelings out. Painting was like speaking out loud about them, and it has helped her all her life. 

Someone knocked on the door and slowly walked in. She turned around to see Josie smiling softly. She smiled back.

“You’re back. How was your day?”

Josie took a deep breath. “Oh you know..no broken bones.” She lied.

Hope chuckled. “That’s reassuring.”

“What about you?”

“Uneventful.” 

“What are you painting?”

“Putting feelings on canvas.”

Hope kept staring at the painting, pretty focused about putting the colors in the right places. The room was quiet and Josie just limited to stare at her for a while. Then she thought about asking her something she felt like she needed to know.

“Hope...do you remember what you said to me that night at the bayou?” 

Hope gave her the attention and placed her brushes on the plate. She turned to face Josie, pressing her lips together, almost nervous. She remembered. 

“Of course.”

“Do you still want it?” Josie’s eyes were a mist of fear and vulnerability. 

Hope felt fear too. Not because she wanted to say no. But because she wanted to say yes so bad but couldn’t. Not now, not when she wasn’t in control of herself.

“Of course I want it.”

“But?” She was perceptive.

“Not yet.” 

Josie nodded in understanding trying to hide a bit of disappointment. But Hope noticed it and instantly felt bad. She didn’t know what to do. She just wanted her to be happy. And what if she wasn’t happy anymore there with her? What if it wasn’t enough anymore?

Hope took her hands in hers and placed two sweet kisses on their back, holding them to her chest. 

“Jo?” 

She raised her gaze to meet hers.

“Are you unhappy?”

Josie smiled softly and shook her head. “How could I be unhappy?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe you want your life back and wish you never set foot in New Orleans.” Both of them chuckled.

“I seriously doubt that.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have you if I hadn’t.” 

Hope smiled widely, both of them stared at each other for what it seemed like forever, then Hope decided it was enough.

“Cheesy.”

“Would you stop it?!”

“You’re the one who says cheesy things. I’m not used to this.”

“Well get used to it!” She laughed. 

Hope got up to go take a shower, while Josie stayed sitting on the bed thinking about what to do. 

She knew she had to bring up the other important, most urgent thing. But she didn’t want Hope to worry and lose her mind trying to fix whatever thing she had to face. This was another of her battles and Hope didn’t need to know. 

To be honest, she hoped that she would finally say they could go away together, so she didn’t have to carry this secret with her and be constantly on guard, but it didn’t matter now. She wouldn’t leave Hope, even though she was in danger. 

*** Hope woke up inside an abandoned house mostly made of wooden. She was sitting on the floor and she had chains around her wrists. She looked around her and started walking towards the entrance.   
Suddenly a woman grabbed her by her neck and pushed her against the wall. It was the woman who was the cause her mother’s death.

“You did this to her! You did this to both of them! Look at them!” 

She was gasping heavily and as she looked down the floor. There were now the dead bodies of Freya and Josie. 

“Good thing your mother isn’t here to see it.” 

She started crying and suddenly the woman disappeared and she was on the floor looking desperately at the bodies.   
Suddenly she heard the voice of her father.

“Hope..what did you do?” He looked at her in horror. Hope tried to say something but she couldn’t speak. ***

She opened her eyes and woke up from the nightmare gasping for air. She looked around her to see her room, quiet and dark. Josie sleeping soundly next to her. 

She got up to go downstairs and have some blood, ending up drinking four bags.   
She needed to tell someone. Maybe Kol would know what to do. He also was like this back in the days and he managed to get better, maybe he could help her. 

Speaking of the devil, he entered the basement at the same time, surprised to see her there.

“Hope. What are you doing down here?”

“I was hungry.”

He looked at the trash cans with empty bags in it. He only hoped those weren’t all hers, so he didn’t ask.   
After he opened a bag for himself, Hope found the courage to talk to him.

“Can I tell you something?”

“Oh not again.” He thought about Josie.

“What?”

“Nothing. What is it?” 

“I..I keep having this hunger. It’s so strong. And..I don’t know how to control it.” She only said half the truth. She didn’t want him to know she had killed innocent people in the process.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

“I thought I could handle it.”

“I’ve been where you are, so maybe I can help you.”

“You won’t tell auntie Bex or Freya, will you?”

He sighed heavily. “No, I won’t. I promise.”


	20. Come here

Josie was walking down the quarter directed to the witch shop since she had to buy some things for Freya. 

Although in the last two weeks she kept feeling like something bad could happen she couldn’t live in fear. She didn’t want to. She still hadn’t told Hope about what Aurora said and she figured Kol didn’t either since nothing came up between her and Hope. 

“I need sandalwood, oleander and flowers.” Josie asked to the witch.

“Doing shopping?” 

She turned around to see Aurora waving at her smiling at her like a creep.

“What do you want?”

“From you? Nothing dear. I’m just shopping.” 

“In a witch shop?”

“Who said I was shopping for me?” 

Josie tensed. “What’s your goal? Just say it. Save me all the villain behavior and tricks. Just do what you came here for.”

“You mean..killing the Mikaelsons? Including your precious Hope? I guess I could do that, you’re right.” 

“You won’t lay a finger on her.” Josie got closer and threatened her. Aurora was quite surprised by her audacity.

“They told me everything about you.” She whispered to Josie. “You think you’re free of that darkness darling, But in truth you still have it in you. It is all you.” 

“I don’t care what I have to do to stop you..or them. But if you dare to touch the Mikaelsons, I’ll make sure to put you to sleep for good.” 

Aurora smiled amused at Josie again. She started walking backwards to leave to store, still looking at Josie’s threatening face. 

“Bad girl. Very bad.” Then she closed the door and left.

Hope went to the sanctuary with Kol to find Davina, hoping she could help Hope with her hunger problem with some spell.

“Hope, I don’t think there’s an actual spell for that. I mean even for Kol it was not some problem because of the turning. He mostly did it for fun and boredom.”

“That’s true.”

“But..” Hope sighed heavily. Davina could see she was really desperate.

“Hope? What is it?”

“I’ve also been having dreams. Nightmares. In these I always end up hurting or killing the people I love. I..I see myself as a monster. And I’ve been having these for the last two weeks and it just doesn’t stop.” 

Davina thought for long about her words before coming up with another question. 

“Kol..do you remember when I brought you back? And the ancestors cursed you with that compulsive anger and hunger?”

“Well I also wanted to kill you. And I did.”

“Yes but..she doesn’t want to kill anyone because of hate or rage. She only does that because she feels hunger. Or she does it in her nightmares.”

“What are you saying?”

“That there must be someone controlling her mind. Controlling her nightmares.” 

Kol had an enlightenment. “And I happen to know someone who knows how to do that. My mother.”

They both looked at Hope who was looking down at her feet instead. 

“Hope? Would you like to share?” 

She looked at Kol and then Davina hesitating, but then she felt like no choice but to tell them. 

Later at home they were all discussing the matter with Freya, who clearly was upset at Hope for keeping it a secret for almost three weeks, but then she also got worried because she knew what her mother was capable of.

“Did you seriously think that keeping it a secret would have been better?!” Rebekah screamed at her.

“I just thought I would ignore her! I didn’t know she would try to control my mind and turn me into a monster.” 

Freya went closer to her pointing a finger. “You’re not a monster.”

“Aunt Freya..I killed people. Humans. I can’t live with myself. And now I might even try to hurt you. Or Josie.”

“Those are not premonitions. She just wants to show you your biggest fears. So that you go to her and beg her to give you a better life. The life she wanted for all of us.”

“What do I do?”

“We need to have a little chat with mommy dearest.”

Suddenly there was a knock on the door already open. It was Josie.

“Sorry to interrupt the family meeting but...there’s something you need to know.” 

“What?”

“Um..two weeks ago, when Kol and I were in the woods..one of your old acquaintances attacked us. Him.”

Hope instantly got up to try to speak but Freya preceded her. “Who?” 

“It was Aurora.” Kol said.

Rebekah opened her mouth in shock and then started screaming again. “Didn’t you think it was worth mentioning?!” 

“Yeah well I might have forgotten.”

“I’ll tell you what you can or can’t forget..” Rebekah started walking towards him to bit him but Freya’s voice stopped her.

“Enough!” Then she turned her attention to Josie again. “Let me guess. She’s coming for us all, right?” 

Josie nodded and stood there nervously trying to avoid Hope’s gaze, since she knew she would be mad for not telling her about this. But she was even more nervous thinking about the fact that she didn’t even know the worst part.

“Great. So now we have to deal with our mother trying to control our niece’s mind and the return of that psycho bitch. Lovely. Just lovely.” Rebekah said.

Josie frowned and looked at Hope confused. “What? Hope! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“There’s..also another thing you should know.” Kol said looking at Josie with the corner of his eyes. 

“No. Kol..” Josie tried to stop him.

“I’m sorry Josie but we have enough problems to deal with, everyone needs to know.” 

“Know what?” Hope asked impatiently.

“Aurora said that the ancestors are coming for me. That...I cheated my fate and they’ll take what they want no matter what.” Josie spitted out.

Hope opened her mouth to talk and Josie already knew she was not happy about this. “You knew this for two weeks and you didn’t tell me?!” 

Oh right. Now she wanted to be mad at her. “No, Hope. Don’t lecture me, okay? You didn’t even tell me that Esther was torturing you!”

“Because I can handle it!”

“You’ve been having nightmares about you killing people and hunger issues Hope, seems far than keep it in control.” Freya said. 

“Thank you!” Hope said sarcastically to her, as if she needed to worsen the situation with Josie knowing about this too.

“Seriously Hope?!” 

“I didn’t want anyone to worry! I wanted to deal with it myself!”

“Congratulations! You’re doing great so far.”

“The ancestors are way worse than my Grandmother coming back from the dead, Josie! The last time they were in the middle of things you ended up dead!”

“I can protect myself Hope. I’m not some poor victim that needs to be saved every time.”

Hope sighed and calmed down for a moment, her voice softened. “Josie I don’t think you need saving. I know you’re strong, I’m not doubting you. But this is not something you can face alone.” 

“So you have to be there risking your life for me.” 

“No..it’s not like..” Josie walked away before she could finish. “Josie..” She sighed and turned around to face her family. 

“What do we have to do?” 

“You...” Rebekah walked towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Need to go talk to her. We’ll think about what to do. Now go.” 

Hope thought about it for a moment and then left the room to go find Josie. She knocked at her door and waited for her to open. But she didn’t. Hope rested her head on the door and sighed.

“Josie? Let me in. Please?” 

She kept quiet. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. And I’m sorry I screamed at you.” 

Still no answer.

“I know it’s no excuse, but..knowing this, now..I’m scared I can lose you again. And I can’t bear the thought of it. And I got mad because..what if they had gotten to you and none of us knew? I just..” She sighed trying to hold back the tears. “I don’t even wanna think about it.” 

Suddenly the door opened and Hope’s eyes instantly met Josie’s. She didn’t seem angry like she was before. She opened her arms and just closed the distance between them. 

“Come here.” 

Josie held her so tight like she never had before and Hope just let her do it, finding comfort in Josie’s arms and her scent, which have been her favorite things for a while now.


	21. I’m the problem

The next day Hope woke up before anyone could see her and went to the cemetery where she knew she would have found Esther. 

When she entered the crypt Esther remained unbothered, as if she was waiting for her.

“It’s not cool what you did, you know.”

“It took you longer than I expected to realize.” 

“Yeah well, it was pretty confusing.” 

“I was not controlling your hunger Hope. The only thing I did was to make you see what will most likely happen.”

“I don’t believe you. The ancestors did something similar to Kol once, I know you’re doing the same thing to me.”

“I’m not working with the ancestors darling. I’m here on my account. I’m here for you.” She got up and walked closer to Hope. “You are my family, Hope. I couldn’t save my children, let me at least save you from this endless misery.”

“I don’t need saving.” 

She started to walk away but Esther caught her attention again. 

“It’s your choice Hope. But know this. You will end up hurting the ones you love the most. And when that is done, there is no going back. It will haunt you forever. And forever is a long, long time.”

Hope tightened her fist while her face tensed even more. She wanted to make her insecure. She wanted her to be scared of herself. It was all part of her mind game and she wouldn’t let her win.

“What’s the spell supposed to do?” Josie asked to Freya.

“It’s a protection spell. It won’t be much but whoever it is that might try to hurt you won’t succeed.” 

Josie nodded and looked down at her feet. Freya sighed. 

“I know you don’t want to be considered as fragile and weak Josie. No one here thinks that, it’s just for your own safety.”

“I know, I know. It’s just..you Mikaelsons being Mikaelsons.” 

Freya smiled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You care about protecting your special cargos.” 

“Yeah, something like that.” Both of them smiled and then Rebekah entered the room. 

“Marcel said that Aurora has been recruiting witches for only God knows what.” 

“Do you think she’s working with the ancestors?” Josie asked. 

“No love, I don’t think this has to do with you. I think it has to do with me.”

“You? Why?”

“Of course. You turned her. She’s part of your sire line.” Freya said.

“So in order to kill all of us, including me...”

“She has to break the sire link first.” Freya concluded.

“Just like they did with Klaus.” 

“And..how is that a problem?” Josie asked hoping not to sound too stupid. 

“The problem is always the same. That she’ll come for all of us. But I don’t think it will be difficult to take her down. She always breaks in the end.”

“Do you think you can handle her?” 

“For now. I’ll let you know if I need you.”

“Okay.” 

In that moment Hope came back home and went upstairs to talk to Freya, finding her with Josie in the studio. Both of them noticed that she was upset. 

“What’s wrong Hope?” Freya asked.

“She says she’s not the reason I can’t control my hunger. It’s me. I’m the problem.” 

She started panicking and tried to hold her tears. Josie instantly walked closer to her and took her hand to calm her down.

“Hey. You’re going to be okay. I know of vampires who had this problems and they managed to come out of it.” 

“I..I don’t know.” 

She held her head between her hands while Josie and Freya shared a sad look. 

“Why don’t you two go and relax for a bit? Take the rest of the day just for yourselves.” 

Josie nodded and tried to take Hope with her. “Yeah. Come on, let’s go.”

When they left the room Freya sighed heavily. She didn’t notice Davina who was on the doorstep.

“What can we do for her?” 

“I don’t know..I mean Josie is right. Vampires eventually manage this. Even Stefan Salvatore who was a ripper made it. But I remember when she was a child. She had so much power that she didn’t know how to control. And it was scary.”

“You think this will be difficult too.” 

“I mean she is a tribrid, Davina. She made it to control her wolf side and her powers after so long. And now this..”

“I know.” 

“I don’t want her to become what she fears most. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself. She already can’t.” 

“So we help her Freya. We’ll find a way. We always do.” 

Meanwhile Hope and Josie were lying on the bed face to face, playing silently with each others fingers, then intertwining their hands, then caressing them. They stayed like this for a while, just enjoying the quiet.

Josie figured that Hope could use some peace. And she hoped she could feel that. After a while Hope decided to break the silence and talked with a soft voice.

“Josie?” 

Josie looked at her although Hope was still paying attention to their hands playing together. But she felt Josie’s gaze on her, so she continued.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. You know I do.” 

“Would you love me the same if I was a monster?” 

“You’re not a monster. You could never be. And if that was so, I would sing I’m in love with a monster proudly.” 

Hope smiled softly. Josie frowned.

“What?” 

“You’re too good at this.”

“I am?” 

“Yes.” 

She raised her gaze to look at Josie who was smiling back at her. After both of them seemed to be captured by each other’s lips, Josie closed the distance and collapsed their lips together in a hot kiss, making her way in Hope’s mouth with her tongue, causing her to moan. 

While Josie tried to place herself on top of her, Hope was faster and with her vampire speed quickly changed positions.   
She was now on top of Josie, holding Josie’s hands behind her head and looking intensively into her eyes, both of them wanting each other. 

Hope let her hands go so that Josie could place them on her back, then run them under her shirt. Meanwhile Hope started leaving a trail of wet kisses on her neck, both of them gasping loudly. 

Josie crossed her legs around Hope’s hips to feel her body closer while Hope started feeling overwhelmed. She could feel Josie’s heartbeat stronger than before. She could feel it under her teeth and the urge to bite was growing stronger.

Before she knew her teeth were out and bit Josie between her neck and her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise.

“Hope..it hurts..”

Then she deepened the bite, still not stopping.

“Hope!” 

Hope was up and far from her in a matter of seconds. She was breathing heavily and keeping her balance with her back on the door.

Josie was sitting on the bed looking at her eyes and her teeth still out. Then she noticed the blood on her own shoulder. Then she slowly started healing because of Freya’s spell. She looked back at Hope.

“Hope it’s okay. I’m okay.” 

“No..no.” 

“Hope..come here. Let me help you, okay?” 

“Stay away please.” 

She left the room to get away from Josie but she wouldn’t let her do that. Josie followed her outside screaming her name, making the rest of the family come out too to see what was happening.

“Don’t run away from me Hope!”

“I said stay away! I can smell your blood. Please..” She was almost crying while fighting the urge to jump on her and just sink her teeth into her neck. 

“Take her.” Hope told Kol, who instantly held back Josie so that she couldn’t go after Hope. Josie tried to fight.

“Hope!” 

She finally managed to calm down and turned around to look at Josie who was staring at her with pleading eyes.

“You need to go back to Mystic Falls.”

Josie’s face dropped. She felt like someone just punched her in the stomach.

“What?” She almost whispered in tears.

“I can’t risk to hurt you. You have to go home. I’m sorry.” She disappeared in a moment with her vampire speed, leaving everyone astonished. 

“Hope!..Hope!”


	22. Are you in or are you out?

Hope was standing alone on the deck by the lake of the bayou. She listened to the quiet of the place, bringing her peace since her vampire hearing kept making her feel overwhelmed in the city. 

Keelin walked out the cabin and walked silently behind her. 

“Hope?” 

She moved her head to the side to let her know she heard her, but didn’t turn around.

“Aren’t you gonna say goodbye?” 

Hope’s expression didn’t change a bit. She might seem emotionless on the outside, but in the inside she felt every part of her crushing down. 

“No.” 

“She deserves at least this Hope.”

“I can’t.” 

Keelin didn’t know if to let it go or say more, but she really didn’t want to upset Hope. 

“Can you leave me alone, please?”

That was the answer. She decided not to fight her and let her be, allowing her to feel what she needed to feel, although she   
felt bad for Josie.

*6 months later*

“Jo? Wake up. The class is in 20 minutes.”

“Hmm.”

“Josie? You already missed two lessons. Dad will be pissed if you don’t show up.”

“Let him be.”

Lizzie sighed and bowed down to move her hair from her face. “Did you drink again last night?”

“Maybe? I think? A little? No. I..just ask Jade.”

“Why are you spending so much time with her?”

“Because she buys me drinks.” 

“Dear god. I’m leaving. Help yourself. If you don’t come, you talk to dad.”

She left the room in a hurry while Josie sighed heavily and then groaned. She stretched her arms and finally opened her eyes, just staring at the ceiling for a few minutes.

After those moments of contemplating she decided to get up and take a strong needed shower, then she quickly got dressed and went to magic class. 

In the last months her magic had gotten better and she felt stronger than ever. Magically speaking. 

When she arrived to class she was a few minutes late and the only free spot was beside Jade, so she sat next to her and tried to pay attention. 

Suddenly Jade whispered to her ear. “Round three tonight?” 

“I think I’ll pass.”

“Oh come on.”

“You’re a vampire, you have a high level of alcohol resistance. I, on the contrary, get drunk after three and a half drinks.”

“You just need more practice.”

“Sure.” She rolled her eyes and smiled softly, then went back to pay attention to the teacher. 

Despite her best intentions, if she really ever had them, Josie decided to go to the mill and have drinks with Jade and her friends again. 

“Come on Josie sing. Sing something for us!” 

“Yes Jo show them your hidden talent.”

“I don’t know guys. I’m not drunk enough for this.” 

“Then here. Drink this! Liquid courage!”

Josie drank the whole drink all at once at then got up, getting ready to sing. “Okay guys. Happy or sad?” 

Jade stared at her with soft eyes. “Sad.” 

She thought about it for a moment and then cleared her throat and started singing.

“Wake up, stay with me  
Through the flood and through the fear  
Right now I need you here  
I need you to stay strong  
To remind me where I came from  
And where I belong  
So wake up and stay with me

'Cause I'm starting to think  
That I never actually had you  
You're not in the dark  
But far from the light  
And I need to know now

Are you with me?  
Are you in or are you out?  
Are you with me?  
Are you drifting through the doubt?  
Are you in or are you out?”

“That was...”

“I’m crying bro.” 

Josie chuckled and sat down again, thanking them all. 

A few hours later they were all asleep except Josie who was staring at the night sky from the hole in the ceiling. Her mind where had been for the past six months. 

Jade opened her eyes and saw Josie awake, then she curiously stared at her.

“Can’t sleep?” 

“Not really.” 

“Can I ask you something?” 

Josie looked at her with the corner of her eyes to let her know she was listening. 

“That song. The way you sang it. Who broke your heart?” 

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” 

“Still hurts?” 

“You have no idea.” 

“I think I might actually.” Josie looked at her for a moment and she felt like Jade could really understand what she was feeling too. Then she looked up again. 

Jade sighed. “Maybe you should focus on somebody new. Move on.”

“Maybe I don’t want to.” 

“And yet you keep hurting yourself over and over again. Does this person even know you’re still waiting for them?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Come on Jo. You know you deserve to be happy.” 

Suddenly Josie got up and picked up her things.

“Where are you going?”

“In my room. I don’t feel so good, I’m sorry. I’ll see you tomorrow at school okay?”

Jade was uncertain about Josie’s reaction. She didn’t know if to believe her or think it was her fault and she made her uncomfortable, but she decided not to pry. “Okay.”

By the time Josie walked away from the mill and crossed the woods she was already feeling overwhelmed. Sadness, angry and despair all together. 

She let out a scream and casted a fire ball against a tree. Then another and another one. When she noticed that the tree was burning she stayed still and watched it burn. She almost felt warm inside, a warmth that she missed and only the fire could remind her of that. 

Luckily at the same moment it started raining and the fire slowly burnt out. Josie was soaked wet, but mostly, she felt cold inside again. 

“It’s been six months and she’s nowhere to be found. I don’t believe she just changed her mind.” Rebekah said to Freya.

“I don’t know sister. I tried to locate her but she’s nowhere really. She must have cloaked herself.”

“What about mother?” Kol asked.

“Hope said she would deal with her. And I don’t know what that means.” Freya said.

“Look guys, I don’t mean to worry you but are we sure that leaving Hope dealing with her is the best idea? She’s emotionally vulnerable and we’ve seen it so far, who knows what deal she might take from Esther?” Keelin made a point. 

“No, she would never do that.” Kol said convinced.

“Are you sure? Because in the last six months Hope has been not herself. And the hunger problem seems to be even worse..” 

“Why don’t we do what we all think we need to do?” Kol said. 

“Are you out of your mind? Kol is not our place. You can’t force this.” Rebekah said. 

“I think that’s pointless.” Kol surrendered and poured himself a drink. 

Meanwhile Hope entered the room in her gym clothes, a drink in her hand.

“Hey. What are you all doing here?”

“We’re still wondering where Aurora is.” 

“Maybe she gave up.”

“Hope, you don’t know her..”

“Well if she ever introduces herself to me, I’d be happy to show her the way out.” She smiled sarcastically and then left the room. 

Everyone in the room shared a glance and sighed. Someone had to reach for Hope before she could do something she regretted.

Hope was walking in the woods towards the bayou since the full moon was in a few days and she wanted to be there. 

Suddenly a red head woman appeared just behind a tree, leaning her shoulder against it nonchalantly.

“Hello Hope.” 

“Finally. I was starting to believe you were just a myth.” 

“I am that famous?” She smiled excited, but Hope thought she was just creepy. 

“Not as much as me I’m afraid.”

Hope tried to walk past her but Aurora blocked her way. 

“Hope, Hope, Hope...”

“I know my name, you don’t need to repeat it.”

“Tell me, how much have you been considering for your grandma to give you a simple, honest, humble, human life? And how badly do you wish for it?”

“You’re delusional.”

“Am I? I hear you’ve been looking for her.”

“Get out of my way.”

“How is your hunger by the way? Still bad? You should ask Esther about that.”

“She said she’s not the one doing this.”

“Are you sure Hope? Come on, you must know better than to trust Esther to just accept you don’t want a mortal life and stay in her place.” 

“I have a better question. What do you want from my family again?” 

“For them to die of course. Including you.” 

Hope nodded and smiled amused. “Yeah. That’s not gonna happen.”

“Really?”

Hope stopped smiling for a moment and quickly grabbed Aurora by her neck, pushing her against a tree and holding her grip to stop her from breathing. But Aurora still laughed at Hope’s face despite of that.

“You think that just because I’m not a thousands years old you can win? Do you know who you are Aurora?” She paused and got closer to her face with a serious and threatening look. “At the end of the day, you’re nothing but an ordinary vampire. I..am a Mikaelson.” 

Suddenly Aurora freed herself from Hope’s grip, changing roles and surrounding Hope’s throat with her arm, making it difficult to breath. Hope still tried to fight her, but Aurora’s grip got stronger and stronger, almost chocking her. 

“Oh Hope, do you really think you can scare me? Your family doesn’t scare me. You..don’t scare me.” She whispered while Hope kept gasping for air, failing. 

“You think you’re so strong, but I know exactly what your weaknesses are. Just like your father’s.” She laughed hysterically and then left Hope’s hold and threw her on the ground a few feet away. 

“Do you want to know what your greatest fear is, Hope? Because I don’t need a witch to tell me this.” She paused and looked at Hope straight in the eyes. “It’s loss.” 

Hope remained silent. She was holding her throat with a hand and looking at Aurora with rage, almost ready to jump on her again.

“You are so afraid of losing the people you love...it might drive you to the edge.” She kept laughing. “That will be so much fun to watch.”

“You really think you can get close to my family without dying? They would end you in a second.”

“Rhetorical question: Would they really?”

Suddenly she took out from her leather jacket the same White Oak Stake Lucien tried to kill her with. Hope’s expression instantly changed.

“My witches are taking Rebekah as we speak. Once I break the sire link there’s nothing stopping me to kill her. As I will kill your precious uncle Kol. And Freya.”

“Good luck trying.” 

Hope used her speed to get to her but Aurora was fast to block Hope’s fist and punch her back, making her fall again.   
Hope got up faster and tried to hit her again, kicking her on the back and then behind her knees to make her lose strength and kneel down. 

Aurora still managed to get up and throw a high kick, which Hope stopped with her arm. Then Aurora pointed the steak at her, trying to sink it in her chest, but Hope grabbed her arm with both of her hands and stopped her on time.

The steak fell a few feet away from them, while Hope and Aurora were still fighting.   
Suddenly Aurora manages to twist Hope’s arm and make her kneel down in pain.

Then she quickly grabs the stake and comes back behind Hope’s back pointing it behind her heart.

“Who has the power now, Hope?” Both of them were gasping loudly. “I could end you right now, but I would miss all the fun, wouldn’t I? But I am feeling good today, so I’ll let you go, for now.” She pushed Hope on the ground while she held her arm in pain. 

“I have something else in store for you. Now I have to be elsewhere if you don’t mind. See you at your funeral, Hope.”

She waved at her and quickly disappeared, leaving Hope there still trying to gain her strength back, but when she did she got up and run home, hoping to find her family unharmed.

“Aunt Freya? Uncle Kol?” No one answered. She started panicking.

“Aunt Keelin? Please!” Still no one. 

“Hope, what’s going on?” Davina was just entering the compound, unaware of everything that was happening.

“Aurora took them. She’s going to break the sire link and then kill them. I can’t find aunt Freya either.”

“I’ll do a locator spell to find them.” 

“There’s no time. I have to go now.”

“No, Hope! You can’t go alone. She has a cult of powerful witches at her service, how do you think you’ll go past them?”

“Because I won’t stop at nothing to save them.”

“They will make you stop Hope. Call Marcel, he’ll tell his guys to come with you.” 

“Fine.” 

“Be careful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys for disappearing on you :( i was a bit sick so i didn’t have the strength to update. Enjoy the chapter aand let me know what you think <33


	23. Hate and Fire

Josie was on the field right behind the school, training for the next game. Everyone had already left since the sun was too hot to bear. The air was calm and quiet. 

But Josie had a weird feeling. She felt a wind blow towards her. She looked around but the place was silent. She was pretty sure no one was there. 

“Hello again Josie.”

Josie turned around scared, just to see Aurora standing behind her with a smile. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Collecting my weapons.”

“You don’t want to see mine, trust me.” 

Aurora groaned. “I’m so sick of these teens trying to threaten me. Would you please stop?”

“Ventus.”

Josie casted a spell making her fly a few feet away. But she wasn’t done. She kept walking towards her pretty intentioned to hurt her.

“Ignalusa.” 

She threw a ball of fire towards her but Aurora was able to miss it. Then Josie tried again, but missed her again. 

“You’re really trying to kill me, Josie? I guess that you have a darkness in you after all.” 

“Phasmatos Morsinus Pyrox Allum.”

Suddenly Aurora started to scream in pain, feeling her bones cracking and dislocating, but she still laughed between the pain.

“You gained power. That dark magic has marked you. I wonder what Hope would think of that.” 

Josie’s anger suddenly grew stronger and she strengthened the spell making Aurora scream in pain two times worse. 

“Don’t bring Hope into this.” 

Aurora still laughed amused. “Oh darling, why do you think I’m here? I need you.” 

Josie looked at her in confusion. 

“You’re my leverage.” Aurora quickly got up and put her to sleep blowing some magical powder to her face, making her unconscious.

“Let’s go finish this.” 

Hope was walking to the secret house where Aurora and her cult where hidden with Marcel and his guys along with her. 

“Marcel, whatever happens, you bring her out of there if I tell you. Okay?” 

“Now I’m taking orders from you?”

Hope smiled. “Do it for me, please?” 

Marcel just stared at her, not saying yes but not saying no either. “No one is going to die today.” 

Meanwhile Rebekah was in a pool filled with water and her blood, her neck slit. Kol was being held enchained to a pillar with chains made of vervain.

The witches were already halfway through the spell when suddenly five vampires jumped on the witches, who managed to toss them away like they were feathers. 

At the same time Hope and Marcel entered the room and glanced at the pool. While Marcel bit a witch to pass through, Hope slammed a bowl on another’s head. 

“God, I cannot leave for one second.” Aurora walked in with a bored look on her face. 

At that point Hope knew she would have to deal with her, but she didn’t notice the witch behind Aurora’s back, who stopped her and tossed her into the water with a spell.

Hope quickly got out and tried to attack her but Aurora blocked her wrist and looked at her with an angry look. 

“I’m getting really tired of you. I might just start having my fun now.” 

She glanced at someone in the distance that Hope couldn’t see. A witch was approaching Kol with the White Oak Stake in her hands. 

Aurora turned around Hope to make her watch. 

“Let’s enjoy the show. Shall we?” 

Hope tried to fight back desperately. “No..no, don’t hurt him. Get away from him!” 

Kol was smiling softly at Hope, looking at her with love and tears in his eyes. “Hope, it’s okay.” 

“No..stop. No!” She freed herself and used her speed to reach him and grabbed the witch by her neck and tossed her away to the other side of the room.

She still couldn’t see the stake. When she turned her gaze to Aurora she was holding it and looking at her with a smirk on her face. 

“Come on Hope. Wait for your turn.” 

Aurora used her speed and tossed her away to get close to Kol and sinked the stake without a second thought.

Hope panicked and run to him instantly before he could start burning but it was still too late. Kol was groaning in pain with the feeling of fire growing strong inside of him. Hope gabbed his face and still tried to think of something to do.

“No..no. Uncle Kol?” She almost whispered in tears. 

He just smiled at her one last time and mumbled three last words before he was on fire. “I love you.” 

Hope kneeled down in shock and pain. She was sobbing and watching him burn before her eyes. She couldn’t save him.

“Well that was a hell of a bonfire.”

Hope suddenly got up with both rage and tears in her eyes and grabbed Aurora by her neck, slamming her head against the floor. But Aurora was still not scared.

“You can kill me right now Hope, but then you will never know where your precious Josie is.” 

Hope’s expression changed instantly, her hold on Aurora weakened. 

“Wha..”

“Ohh yeah. Is that fear? It is. Did you think I wouldn’t make sure I had my leverage against you? She might not be a Mikaelson, but she’s still the key to your fragile heart.”

She held her grip around Aurora’s throat again, this time only with anger in her eyes. 

“If you take me or kill me, you can say goodbye to your love. Oh but..maybe you don’t want to? I mean after all you did sent her away without even saying it.”

“Shut up!” 

“I suggest you go find your aunt Freya before it’s too late Hope.” 

Hope thought about it for a split second but soon decided to let her go and walked away to go find her aunt, sure that Aurora wouldn’t harm Josie until she could see it with her eyes. 

While Marcel’s guys had eventually taken down all the witches, Hope was looking for Freya, knowing that she had to be there. 

Thankfully Freya had linked both of their powers together. When she did it months ago at first Hope was not cool about the idea, but now she was grateful she did it.

She tried to follow her magic so that it would lead to her, and after she opened a few doors in the dark hallway she finally found her. 

Two witches were guarding her and as they saw Hope they tried to cast a spell, but Hope was faster and slammed both of their heads together, making them unconscious.

“Aunt Freya? Wake up. Aunt Freya.”

She opened her eyes and seemed surprised to see Hope. “Hope...what are you doing here? Aurora..”

“She’s gone for now. But we have to go.”

“Where are Kol and Rebekah?” 

Hope couldn’t help but start crying again. 

“Hope? What happened to them?”

“Uncle Kol...she killed him.” 

Freya held her breath for a moment, the shock clear on her face, but she didn’t break. She couldn’t. Not in that moment. Not in front of Hope. 

“We have to go.”

Josie was just waking up, still trying to remember what happened to her. She was looking at the dark room she was in, unsure of where she really was. 

She was chained on what seemed to be an hospital bed, her wrists blocked with chains anti magic. She tried to free herself in vain, of course. And after a few moments someone came in and approached her. It was Aurora.

“Well, you’re awake. So we can chitchat.”

“Why should I talk to you?”

“Take this as a chance to make a friend before you possibly die. That is if your girlfriend decides to annoy me again.”

Josie’s face tensed just thinking about Hope. “What?”

“Oh yes. Update: You’re in New Orleans. I killed 1/4 of the last remaining Mikaelsons. It was glorious. Can’t wait to kill them all.” She laughed hysterically.

“You’re sick.” 

“I’m only trying to give them what they deserve. They took everything from me. My brother. My only family. And I’m going to repay them with the same coin.”

She smiled and got closer to Josie. 

“Besides, if I don’t kill you, maybe the ancestors will. You’re back in New Orleans now and I would gladly let them know. Maybe I should. I don’t think Hope would mind anyway.”

Josie pressed her lips together and stared at her in anger. Hearing Hope’s name was almost worse than being chained to a creepy bad with a psycho bitch threatening to kill you. She thought that at this point Hope really wouldn’t care about coming to save her since she had her family to think about. All her brain was telling her was that Hope wasn’t coming. That she didn’t care. That maybe, she stopped loving her the moment she sent her away from New Orleans. 

Later that night at the compound the air was cold and sad. Rebekah was safe and sire link didn’t break, but the hearts of everyone did. 

Davina was desperate. She felt guilty for not being able to do something, she felt like she lost everything she loved most all over again. 

Hope was locked in her room, trying desperately not to listen to Davina’s crying and screaming of pain, but with a super hearing was almost impossible. She was looking at a picture of her and her uncle, silently crying.

Rebekah knocked at her door and walked in quietly. Hope could tell that she had been crying. She sat down on the bed and sighed, her voice soft and broken.

“I know this is the last thing you want to hear Hope, but you did save us today. You fought for us. You were a Mikaelson.”

Hope kept silent, still looking at the framed picture. She didn’t really think it was enough. But now it wasn’t the moment to beat herself up for this. She had to keep her nerves tight.

“I need you to help me.” Hope said with a trembling voice.

“Anything.”

She finally raised her gaze to look at Rebekah, her expression tightened. Hope reminded her of Hayley, she had the same expression when she was in pain or angry, she thought.

“Aurora has Josie. She..plans to use her as leverage against me.”

“So..this means that Josie is back.”

“And the ancestors can get to her.” 

Rebekah sighed heavily and tried to think of a plan. “You already have a plan, don’t you?” She asked Hope.

Hope seemed emotionless. If Rebekah didn’t know her, she would say that she had switched her humanity off. In this moment, she looked like the last time she lost control. 

“We have to save Josie and kill Aurora. I don’t want to take any more risks. I don’t want to give her time to find new allies. She has to die, today.” 

“Hope..”

“This is the plan.” 

“Okay. Just..you tell us what to do.”


	24. There’s no off switch for that

That same morning Hope woke up before everyone else. Probably she didn’t even really get sleep. 

She got up to talk to Freya since they had to agree about the plan. When she came into the room she heard Freya crying. She stood behind to door for a while until she saw her wipe off the tears and try to regain her composure. 

When Freya saw her she cleared her throat and stood straight. 

“Hope. Do you need something?”

“Did you talk to auntie Bex?” 

“Yes. And..I agree with your plan.”

“You do?”

“Absolutely.”

“Locate Aurora. We’re going now.” 

“Okay.” 

“Aunt Freya?”

“Yes?” 

“I’ll deal with Aurora. You find Josie and take her out of New Orleans.” 

Freya was taken aback by Hope’s words. She agreed with her plan but she didn’t think she would let Josie’s life in their hands but hers. Not that she couldn’t trust them, but this made Freya wonder what really were her feelings for Josie and why she didn’t wanna make sure Josie was okay.

In all honesty Hope tried to hide how she really felt about her. Contrary to how everyone can think, her feelings for Josie had never changed. Never left. They just became something so heavy that it almost destroyed her, but she was convinced that Josie’s safest place was far from New Orleans, far from her and her family. 

After Freya located Aurora, they headed to the old Strix mansion where Aurora was hiding. When they arrived, first thing they did was split up. 

This meant, Freya and Marcel went to find Josie, while Rebekah and Hope went for Aurora. 

Freya and Marcel headed upstairs, while Hope and Rebekah headed to the big room on the first floor, careful to catch any noise or presence. 

Suddenly the curtains opened and there was a wave of light entering the room.

“Rise and shine!” Aurora stood on a table with the White Oak Stake in her hands. 

“I knew you would come for your love. That’s why I hid her somewhere else. Did you really think I would keep her with me?” 

Hope instantly ran to her but Aurora was fast to move away, while Hope crushed herself on the table that broke in two. 

“Relax Hope. She’s still alive. See this red shiny stone? This tells you her heart is still beating. Now, if you stop fighting me and just let me get it done, I promise you she will live. After all we are friends now. I know all her secrets.” 

Hope threw her the broken leg of the table that crossed Aurora’s stomach, hanging her to the wall. Although she was losing blood from her mouth, she kept laughing amused. She took out the steak from her stomach and quickly reached Rebekah, sinking the Withe Oak Stake a few inches away from her heart. 

Rebekah groaned in pain while Hope felt the air missing for a moment. 

“No!” 

“Stop fighting Hope. Just surrender. I move this stake and she’s dead anyway. It’s over.” 

“I wouldn’t bet on it.” Freya arrived with Marcel and casted a spell.

“Lihednat Dolchitni.” 

Suddenly Aurora began to desperately gasp for air, leaving her hold on Rebekah while Marcel quickly grabbed her and took off the stake from her chest. 

Meanwhile Freya kept suffocating Aurora more and more, angrier than ever.

“See Aurora, I knew it was going to end like this from the start. Because you never get anything done. In the end...you always break.” 

Suddenly Freya stopped the spell. Aurora kneeled down on the floor trying to catch her breath. Hope walked closer to her and grabbed her with her hair to make her look at her. 

“This is for my uncle.” 

She sinked her hand in her chest and took Aurora’s heart in her hand and before she could pull it out, Aurora looked in front of her and smiled one last time. Hope didn’t think it twice to rip out her heart, leaving her on the floor and dropping her heart. 

She looked at her hand but didn’t feel guilt. She didn’t feel bad. She felt like she deserved it. She didn’t feel better either, but at least she had done justice to her uncle.

When she turned around everyone’s eyes were on her. But her gaze instantly fell on Josie who just walked the door and had her eyes wide open. Hope’s eyes were too. 

Josie could only feel her heart beating fast, she didn’t think she was even breathing anymore. 

Meanwhile Hope felt all of her feelings coming back to surface. It’s like she had been seeing the world in black and white and the moment she saw Josie standing there alive and beautiful she could see all the colors again.

They didn’t talk at all, they just went back to the compound where Freya took care of Josie who had a few scratches because of the chains, but Hope was so scared to face her that she just left to the bayou without them noticing. 

Freya just finished cleaning up Josie and she was ready to go.

“Marcel will drive you back to Mystic Falls. I’m sorry I’m not coming.”

“It’s okay. You already saved my life. It’s more than enough.” They shared a smile and then fell quiet.

“Josie?”

She turned around to look at her.

“You know, you always have a home here. No matter what.” 

Josie smiled softly but also with a hint of sadness and walked back to Freya to hug her. Freya didn’t expect it but soon melted into the hug and hugged her back. 

Hope was standing by the lake looking at the water that mirrored the blue of the sky. Everything was quiet except the chirping of the birds and the sound of the small stones she dropped in the water one by one. She seemed to relax hearing that sound. 

Suddenly it was not the only sound she was hearing anymore. She heard footsteps, so she turned around almost ready to defend herself. But it was Josie. 

She felt those feelings all over again. The first thing she thought was how beautiful Josie was. 

“It’s just me.” 

Hope regained composure and cleared her throat. “You should be on your way to Mystic Falls.”

“I was. I mean I am. I just..wanted to say goodbye.” 

They stared for a moment before Hope could learn how to talk again.

“Be safe.” 

Josie sighed and tried to keep her thoughts for herself.

“What?” Hope noticed it. 

“Nothing. Just..nothing.” She started walking away before changing her mind and face her again. “Actually no. I have plenty of things to say to you, Hope.”

“Josie..” 

“No! No. Now you don’t get to talk. Since you didn’t even bother to say goodbye seven months ago. And I’m the one who’s been living with that pain ever since.” 

Hope smiled but she was actually hurting. “You think this has been easy for me, Josie?” 

“I think I didn’t deserve it, Hope. I just wanted to be there for you, to help you, to give you what you needed.”

“Well, I needed you to go.” 

Josie felt almost hurt. “Really?” 

Hope tried to hold the tears even though she was failing at that. 

“Hope, do you even have at least a little bit of affection left for me?”

Hope let out an amused sigh. “Do you really think I don’t care about you at all?” 

Josie kept silent. She was silently crying now and couldn’t talk, afraid that she would make herself ridiculous. Looking desperate.

“I did it to protect you. I was not myself Josie. I am not myself still now. You were in danger here. The ancestors wanted you dead and I...was a danger to you.” 

“You’ve never been a danger to me.”

“Are you sure? Because from the way I see it, you took the dark magic within you in order to save me. You died and risked your soul being erased forever. I tried to bite you. Then I was able to put you in danger even after I sent you away! How have I never been a danger to you?!”

“I don’t care Hope! Don’t you see it by now?! It’s always gonna be like this. I am in your life whether you want it or not! I will never be safe even if I’m not with you!” 

“This proves you just how toxic the Mikaelson family is. We destroy everything we touch.” 

Josie’s voice was soft and almost a whisper. More tears fell on her cheeks. 

“You didn’t destroy me, Hope. You made me happy. You made me laugh and..you made me feel loved. And I didn’t even try to move on because I don’t want to move on Hope. I want you. I..need you.”

“You saw me today Josie. You should be afraid of me.” She whispered between tears.

“I’m not afraid of you. You’re good, Hope. You acted impulsively but was to save someone you love. You’re not a monster..Hope Mikaelson.” Josie smiled between tears and caressed her cheek, wiping off the tears. “You’re my hero.”

Hope started crying too, biting her bottom lip to try to stop. But Josie started crying even more and this of no help for both of them seeing the other hurting. 

“I love you..Hope.” She paused. “Just ask me to stay.” 

“I can’t.” 

“Stop pushing me away.” 

Josie closed the distance even more, standing just a few inches from her lips, then took her hand. Hope held her breath for a moment and looked at their hands intertwined, then she raised her gaze to meet hers.

“Nothing has changed, hasn’t it?” She cupped Hope’s cheeks in her hands and rested her forehead against hers. She could feel Hope’s breath on her lips. She was breathing fast.

“Tell me you want me to stay. Please..just stop this.” 

Hope started sobbing and then met her eyes again. “You know I love you Josie.” 

Josie smiled between tears. “Don’t even think I will take a ‘-but’ after this.” 

She didn’t wait for Hope to speak and just collapsed their lips together in a passionate kiss. Josie run her fingers through Hope’s hair while Hope had a hand on Josie’s cheek and the other on her lower back. 

Their tongues started playing with each other, while their breathing became less and less steady, but they didn’t care.   
It was the first time after so long that both of them could feel whole again. 

Hope and Josie were standing still on the bridge, looking down at the river. It was early in the morning and Hope had decided to go there, where they had spread the ashes of her uncle Kol. 

She wanted to go by herself at first, but Josie insisted to go with her. But more than that, Josie made her promise she would let her be there for her even the times she didn’t want her to. 

“I really liked him. We made some great jokes when you were not around.” Josie smiled softly. Hope did too. 

“He liked you too.” 

“When Aurora attacked us in the woods that time..he called me family.” 

Hope turned around to smile ad her tenderly. “You are.”

Suddenly their moment was interrupted by another person standing there. It was Esther. Hope frowned at first and then got a little defensive, hiding Josie behind her. 

“What are you doing here?”

Esther smiled weakly. “Believe it or not, I came for my son.” 

Hope was still looking at her suspiciously. Not that she could be trusted anyway. She finally managed to free herself from Esther’s spell thanks to Freya, so now she can’t imagine what else she could have in mind. 

“Apparently even forever is fragile.”

Esther looked at her. “It is indeed.”

“I don’t need you to talk me into your stupid human life plan Esther. You may have wronged your children, turning them into something you regretted, but you can’t change me.” She paused. “I was born this way. And yes, I might not have a simple and bright life but it’s the life that was chosen for me. I have my family or..what’s left of it at least. Do I wish I had more? Yes. But we all know that even mortal life doesn’t give you that much.” 

Esther smiled amazed at Hope’s words. 

“I never really knew your mother. I only know your father. But I know you’re the very best of the Mikaelsons, Hope.” 

Hope smiled weakly as Esther looked at her. “Goodbye Hope.” 

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not.” Freya said.

“Did our mother really let her be? She’s just..gone?” Rebekah couldn’t believe this. 

“Hope softened your mother? Wow.” Marcel said. 

“I don’t think there’s someone who wouldn’t fall for that pretty face.” Josie walked into the room and crushed on the bed while eating chips. Everyone stared at her amused. 

“Josie where’s Hope?”

“Shower.” She kept chewing. 

“Hey. Why don’t you two come to the masquerade party I’m throwing at my guys new place?” Marcel asked Josie.

“You want me to walk into a vampire cage?” 

“Your own girlfriend is half vampire.”

“But I trust my girlfriend. I don’t trust thirsty dead men.” 

Rebekah and Freya shared both an amused and proud look while Marcel felt a little hurt.

Then Josie changed her mind fast. “But on second thought, I’ll ask her. We’ll be there.” 

She got up and left the room to go find Hope who was already dressed, only her hair still soaked wet. Josie walked in hugging her from behind and leaving sweet kisses on Hope’s cheek.

“What’s that for?” Hope chuckled.

“Seven months of missed kisses.” 

“Fair enough.” 

“I have a proposition for you.” Josie took her hands and smiled happily.

“Oh yeah?”

“Since we never really had a proper date...maybe..we..can...fix that tonight?” She was keeping her closer holding Hope’s collarbone in her hands, her lips very close.

“And...what was your idea?” 

“How do you feel about a masquerade ball?” 

“Really?” 

“Yes.”

“How are you so informed about New Orleans night life?”

“I created a new spell. Reci mi sve. You need to go on the balcony, look above the city, close your eyes and say it.”

“Marcel told you.” Hope was amused by her creativity though.

“Yeah he definitely did.” She laughed.

“All right. Let’s have this date then.” 

An hour later they were at the house where everyone was mostly in smoking or in a dress. Hope was wearing the same long red dress her mother used once for a similar party. Marcel told her that. Knowing this made her feel closer to her mom someway.

Meanwhile Josie was wearing a simple white dress. Both of them with a black mask around their eyes.

When Hope heard a slow song playing, she walked over to Josie who was having a drink to ask her to dance. 

“Hello stranger.” 

“Don’t use that seductive voice on me.” Josie smirked while taking another sip of her drink.

“I only aimed to ask you for a dance, if you don’t mind.” 

Josie smiled softly. “I’d love that.” 

Josie put her arms around Hope’s neck while Hope placed them around Josie’s waist and started dancing following the slow rhythm, her foreheads resting together. 

“I hate not seeing your face because of this mask.” Hope said.

“I don’t mind if I get to see those eyes.” 

Hope raised her head to the ceiling and chuckled amused. “Josie.” 

“Cheesy right?”

“So much.” 

They both kept smiling at each other in silence until Hope spoke again.

“But I missed that.” She paused. “I missed you.”

Josie stared at her for a moment. “Have you ever thought about me during all this time?”

Hope had her eyes fixed on hers. “Every day in the past seven months.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

She kept silent for a moment. “My father did the same with me for seven years. He just..stopped reaching out to me. And I hated him for that. But now I can totally see his point.” She paused. “I thought you would be better off without me, Josie. If there’s something good in my life is because of you, but I would give up on that if it means keeping you alive.”

“Why don’t you let me worry about that?” 

Hope smiled weakly. “I can’t help it.”

“I was not better off without you Hope. I was miserable. And I couldn’t stop loving you even though I was convinced that you stopped loving me the second you sent me away.”

“How could I just stop loving you? There’s no off switch for that.”

Both of them smiled widely at each other. Then Josie leaned in to kiss her gently. They stayed like this for a few moments, their lips connected, just to feel each other. When they broke the kiss they just danced holding each other, Hope resting her head on Josie’s exposed shoulder. 

“Hope?” 

“Hm?”

“Do you think they’ll come for me?” 

Hope instantly broke the hug to look at her, although the mask made it difficult. 

“I know I said this so many times but still went all wrong, but no, they won’t.”

“How do you know it?”

“Because we won’t be here when they try.”

Josie frowned, slightly confused. “How?”

“Because we’ll be in Mystic Falls.” 

It wasn’t clear because of the mask but Hope could swear Josie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Seriously?!”

“Seriously.”

“But..your family.”

“My family will still be here whenever I want to come and visit. Plus, I could use some friends that are not a hundred or a thousand years old.”

“Okay. So for friends.”

“And for you, silly.” 

Josie smiled happily. “I know, I just wanted you to say it.” 

“Don’t try to turn me into another cheesy version of you.”

“Would it be that bad?”

“Eh, it has its good sides.”

Josie laughed. Then she leaned her head to Hope’s ear to whisper something.

“What if I’m not just cheesy?”

Hope tensed for a moment and cleared her throat, looking around her.

“Josie.”

“Yes?” She smirked.

“We are in a room full of vampires with super hearing.”

“Let them hear.” Hope glanced at her almost to make sure she was serious. But she seemed to be.

“What have you done with my Josie?” 

“What do you mean? I can do both.” 

Hope chuckled as both of them kept staring at each other. But Josie was looking at her in a different way, more like she was trying to take her clothes off with her eyes.

Hope tensed even more and couldn’t keep her eyes off of Josie. She leaned close to her ear again to whisper something else.

“Want to go home?” Hope felt shivers all over her for a moment, and she was able only to nodd. 

As soon as they were back to the compound, they went directly to Josie’s room since it was far away from the others, just to make sure Rebekah wouldn’t spy on them.

As they opened furtively the door they were already on each other, kissing passionately while taking off each others dresses. 

When both of them were only in their underwear, Hope grabbed Josie’s leg and quickly laid her on the bed with vampire speed, placing herself on top of her. 

Josie crossed her legs around Hope’s hips to crush their bodies together, meanwhile Hope slips a hand under Josie’s back to unbutton her bra and take it off. 

Their kisses were almost urgent, angry, but mostly passionate. They were clinging on each other as if to make sure the other couldn’t run away, as they wanted to become one. 

Josie did the same and took off Hope’s bra while Hope left a trail of soft and wet kisses on Josie’s neck. The way this moment was electrifying for Hope couldn’t be put into words. She was finally able to feel Josie without being scared to hurt her. She could kiss her and every inch of her skin.

Josie suddenly changed positions and she was on top of Hope, leaving wet kisses all over her naked skin, then stopping to stare at her eyes in adoration. Hope’s eyes were shining golden again. 

“I love you.” 

Hope smiled happily. “I love you.” 

Then they went on kissing, touching and make love to each other for most of the night, the room filled with their moans and laughs. 

The same morning they both woke up realizing they were without blankets on and they probably slept like that all night. 

Each of them on their side of the bed, lying on their side to face the other, smiling softly and happily, playing with their fingers.

Hope was looking at Josie as if she was some sort of goddess, and the sun purposely illuminating her face and her body was just proving her she was right. 

“What are you looking at?” Josie smirked at her. 

“You’re perfect.” 

“There she goes.”

Hope groaned and sinked her face into the mattress while both of them laughed.

“That wasn’t my fault.”

“I know. You make me like this. It’s so..”

“Good?”

“Disturbing.”

Josie bursted into laughter and Hope followed her along. 

“Come here.” Josie surrounded Hope with her whole body, holding her close to her. 

“Who would’ve said I would have a human blanket one day.”

“A human blanket huh?” 

“A sexy human blanket.”

Josie chuckled and then they stayed silent for a while.

“Josie?”

“Hm?”

“My aunt is coming.”

“Oh god. Okay. Dress up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment to let me know what you think. <33


	25. Mystic Falls

“Hope promise me you’ll call me at least three times a week.”

“Three times?!”

“The other three times you’ll call me.” Rebekah smiled widely. “And the one is left for your precious auntie Keelin.”

“You’re so mean.” Hope told her. 

“I’m joking. But you still have to call us.”

“All right.”

“Same goes for you lady.” They raised their voice at Josie who was unloading their bags from the car. She smiled at them. 

“Of course I will.”

“Fine. Now come here you two.”

Rebekah opened her arms to hug them both, bringing in Freya too in the group hug. 

“Alright. No tears. Off you go.” 

Hope smiled tenderly at her aunties. “I love you. Both of you.” 

They shared one last look and then her and Josie walked to the school, and as they entered Lizzie welcomed them first jumping on Josie.

“I missed you. I have so much to tell you.” 

“I can imagine.”

Then Lizzie smiled at Hope and introduced her to her dad who was watching their interaction waiting to say hi. 

“Dad, this is my personal goddess, Hope Mikaelson, who literally gave me life. Again.” 

“That’s a great way to introduce her. Hello Hope, I’m Alaric.” 

“Nice to meet you.” 

“Okay now Josie and I will give you a tour of the school. Dad will take care of the bags. Come come.”

They showed her the main room, then the library, the kitchen and the classes downstairs. Then they moved upstairs to show her their room.

“It’s so nice in here.”

“I know right? You have your own room for now, but maybe you’ll get a roommate when someone new comes.” 

“Cool.” 

Hope looked around the room and noticed a picture of her and Josie hanging on the board. 

“This picture...you still kept it?” She was happy but also surprised to see it. They took that picture before Hope sent her away six months before, she didn’t even think Josie would keep it. 

“Of course.” 

“I like you Hope, but don’t ever make her suffer like that again because I can’t take any more of drunk Josie. She’s just too much.”

“Drunk Josie?” Hope seemed surprised. 

“It’s...nothing..” Josie shook her head.

“Oh it was not nothing. She was drunk most of the time. It’s thanks to me if dad didn’t sent her to rehab.”

“Oh please you’re exaggerating the whole thing. Don’t listen to her Hope.” 

“Oh no I want Lizzie to fill me in about everything.” 

“Stop it.” Josie looked at her with a threatening look while Hope chuckled amused.

“Hey Lizzie. Sorry, MG is looking for you.” 

“Alright. Girls, I’ll be back. Meanwhile, take her to her room.” She addressed to Josie. 

And so she did. Hope looked around her and thought that the room was not so different from Josie’s, but it was nice. She sat on the bed and then lied down. 

“You know, you could spend the night here sometimes.” Hope smirked at her. 

“I knew it would be the first thing you’d say.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Josie walked closer to her and opened her legs to sit on her lap and cupped Hope’s face in her hands. “Because it was my first thought too.” She whispered seductively.

Josie closed the distance between them in a gentle kiss which turned out to be more passionate, their tongues dancing together while Josie kept pressing her hips against Hope’s, causing her to moan. 

“Josie..”

“Hmm?”

“What if someone comes in..” 

“No one’s coming in.” 

Both of them gasped for air but neither of them gave up on kissing the other urgently. Josie placed a hand under Hope’s shirt to touch her abs while she deepened the kiss and pushed Hope down with her back on the bed. 

“Wait.” She stopped Josie and raised her head to look at the door, then she waved her hand to cast a spell. “Vis sera portus.” And so the door locked.

Josie just smiled widely and crushed their lips together again while Hope’s hands caressed her running down her back under her shirt. 

Suddenly Josie’s phone started ringing and both of them groaned in frustration. Josie checked the phone and read a text from Lizzie.

“Lizzie says: Come to the gym, I want Hope to kick Raf’s ass.” 

“I should make friends here, not more enemies. I’ve had enough of them.” 

Josie chuckled. “I’ll just tell her we’re busy.” 

“No. Tell her we’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes?”

“Yes.” She smirked at her and suddenly pushed Josie under her while she started leaving wet kisses on her neck, her hands massaging her breasts under her shirt.

“Take it off.” Josie whispered while she moaned under her touch.

“We don’t have time.” 

Hope bit gently her bottom lip and then started slowly going down on her, causing Josie to arch her back and gasp heavily.

“You’ll drive me insane Hope.”

Hope didn’t answer and just decided to drive her insane as she said. Suddenly Josie let out a loud moan feeling Hope’s tongue between her legs, and it felt even better after Hope entered two fingers inside her. 

Josie was already too much turned on and didn’t take much for her to come. She felt like her whole body was crossed by electricity, then she calmed down and let out one last satisfied gasp. 

Hope just stared at her silently, pleased because of the enjoyment on Josie’s face. As Josie noticed Hope looking at her, she instantly smiled. 

“What?”

“I’m not gonna say it.”

“So you don’t like cheesy nor you say dirty?” 

“Exactly.” 

“But you do dirty.” Hope rolled her eyes while Josie laughed in amusement.

“I’m already sick of you.” 

“The hell you are.” 

“Give yourself some decorum. You look like you just-“

“Had sex?” She smirked at her again. Hope just smiled and ignored her. 

They were walking in the hallway and Josie was still making sure she was fully dressed, but she didn’t notice that her hair was a mess. 

Suddenly they walked into Jade who seemed both surprised and happy to see Josie and literally jumped on her for a hug.

“Where were you?! I thought you were sick!” 

“Oh well I was..I had something to do but now I’m back.”

“Good, because I can’t bear board games with the guys without you.” 

Eventually she noticed Hope next to Josie. She glanced weirdly at her wondering who she was.

“Do I know you?”

“Oh no, um..I’m Hope. Just got here.”

“That’s great! Where are you from?”

“New Orleans.”

“New...oh!” She widened her eyes and nodded in understanding. She looked back at Josie who was avoiding any sort of uncomfortable question. “I see. Well, welcome Hope. I guess we’ll se each other around.” 

“Yeah I guess we will.” Hope smiled nicely, maybe too nicely, and watched Jade walk away. Then they kept walking to the gym in silence.

“Lizzie, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

They were sitting on the bleachers while watching Josie talking to a group of guys, including Jade. 

“Who is that girl?”

“Jade? She’s in Josie’s group of friends. They’ve been hanging out for months now. They used to get drunk together and stuff.”

“Stuff?” 

Lizzie studied her. “Nothing ever happened between them Hope, I would know. So relax.”

“I’m not worried.”

“Then why are you asking me about her?”

“Because she was acting weird.”

“Who? Jade? Josie?”

She thought about it for a moment. “..both.” 

Lizzie honestly didn’t know more than what she told her but she didn’t want Hope to worry since her sister wouldn’t even dream to look at someone else rather than Hope, she was sure of that. 

“I’m sure it’s just your mind playing you.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

-

“Come on Hope! Get up!” Lizzie screamed at her along with the other students watching Hope.

Suddenly her eyes were golden again and she quickly jumped on Rafael’s shoulders, crossed her legs around his neck and pushes herself backwards so that both of them fall onto the ground. 

Rafael got up and throws a punch at her but Hope blocks his arm and twists it around his back, then tosses him away making him roll on the ground.

He doesn’t give up and still attacks her, first kicking her on the hip, making her groan in pain, and then kicking on her knee, maybe too strong. 

Hope screamed in pain and was now laying down with her knee in her hands. Everyone who was watching was shocked, for a moment, including Lizzie. Meanwhile Josie was watching everything from the entrance of the gym, ready to run to Hope. 

Rafael got to her first and worried he could have seriously hurt her. 

“Hope! I’m so sorry! I didn’t measure my strength. Does it hurt?” 

She groaned in pain and the next thing he knew was that Hope was on top of him, holding him down with a hand around his neck. 

She smirked satisfied while the rest of the students praised her. Rafael was confused at first but then smiled in amusement. 

“You got me.” 

“I know some tricks.” 

Then she helped him get up and the room started to clear up. 

At the same time Jade walked on Josie who was still glancing at Hope talking to some students. 

“Hey! Are you still up for tonight?”

Josie was suddenly brought back from her thoughts. “Sorry what’s tonight?”

“We’re having a party at the Old Mill. Without your father knowing of course. We can get wasted like old times.”

“Oh. I..don’t know really.”

“Come on. You can bring Hope too.” 

“I’ll ask her.”

“Fine. Just let me know if you decide to come.” 

“Okay.” 

She smiled nicely even though she could tell Jade was a little disappointed, but to be honest she didn’t feel like fall into that habit again. If she started drinking in the first place was because she needed to take her mind off her pain back when she and Hope were broken up. Now it didn’t seem very appealing.

“Hello.” Hope sneaked up on her, a wide smile on her face. She couldn’t say the same thing about Josie though. She frowned.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Your bones just broke.”

“I healed. I’m all fixed. See?”

“I’d rather you don’t break any bones anyway.” 

“Since when you’ve become so overprotective?”

“Hope.” She looked at her with a serious face. Hope thought it was best to stop kidding. She placed a hand on Josie’s arm.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Josie sighed. “I don’t know. It’s just..I have this weird feeling.”

“What feeling?”

“Like something bad is going to happen.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I don’t know. I don’t wanna think that. I just feel it.” 

“Hey. Look at me.” Hope placed both of her hands on her arms and stared right into Josie’s eyes. “Everything’s okay. I’m okay. We’re okay. You just got used to being a target and now it’s difficult to adjust to living a normal life.”

“We don’t have a normal life.”

“You know what I mean.” 

Josie sighed and smiled weakly. “All right. Can we go cuddle in your room?” 

“Sure little girl, let’s go cuddle.” She pinches her cheek making her giggle. 

“Stop.” 

Hope was coming out of the shower with her towel on, while brushing her hair in front of the mirror.  
Josie was lying on the bed, reading one of Freya’s book. 

“What are you reading?”

“Your aunt had quite the collection of creepy stories.” 

“Oh yeah. You shouldn’t read that. You wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.”

“A spirit that feeds on people’s memories?! Can’t they just feed on..I don’t know, food??” 

Hope chuckled. “Dark spirits do weird things, I think you know that.”

“Yeah, sadly.” 

“Why are you reading this?” 

“Because you were showering and I was bored.” She closed the book and lied on her left side to take a good look at Hope.

She walked to the bed and leaned in to place a sweet kiss on Josie’s lips. “I’m almost ready.” 

“You’re still in your towel.”

“I’ll dress up quickly.”

“Or don’t?”

Hope turned around with a smirk on her face. “Stop it.”

Josie groaned. “I don’t even wanna go to this thing.”

“It’ll be fun. Plus, I’ve never been to a school party.” 

“I’m doing it just for you.”

“Thank you for your sacrifice. It’s very much appreciated.”

Half an hour later they were at the Mill, almost the whole school was there. 

“Josie! You came!” Jade brings her into a hug, probably already half drunk. Hope glanced at her a little annoyed and Lizzie noticed it. 

“Come say hi to the others.” She dragged Josie with her while Lizzie stepped closer to Hope.

“I can hear your thoughts.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We established that connection when you brought me back to life.” She joked. Hope smiled. 

“She’s clearly into her.”

“Now that you say it, yes I think so too.”

“But...I won’t play the jealous girlfriend.” She said, in a not very convincing way.

“Oh yeah..totally.” Lizzie nodded and took a sip of her drink.

Meanwhile Hope glanced at Jade who was pouring herself a drink. More two. She noticed Jade dropping something in one of the drinks and then come back to the group. She handed one of the drinks to Josie. 

“Did you just see that?”

“See what?” Lizzie asked.

“She just put something in her drink. Some..powder.”

“Hope..”

“I saw it Lizzie, I swear.” 

“Don’t make a scene Hope.”

It was too late because she already was walking towards them and was not very calm. She grabbed Josie’s arm to have her attention but also caught Jade’s attention.

“You put something in her drink, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about?” 

“Hope...” This was definitely awkward for Josie.

“No Josie, I saw her.”

“I just poured her a drink, calm down.”

Hope got even angrier and walked closer to Jade. She was about to throw her drink at Jade but fortunately Josie stood in the middle.

“Hope!” Her look was mad and disappointed, Hope knew it. She only calmed down because of Josie, but she still wanted to threw her drink at Jade’s face. 

She sighed and relaxed her face, looking at Josie almost begging her to believe her. “Josie I saw her.”

“Just go, Hope. Please.” 

She pressed her lips together as her face tightened, then she just turned her back on them and walked away to go back to the school.


	26. It’s terrifying

The next day Hope really didn’t feel like going to classes. To be honest she thought that Josie would show up to her room, maybe to apologize, or even to fight, but she didn’t. She decided to go down the lake and train by herself first thing in the morning. 

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” 

She jumped and turned around behind to look behind her. “God! Raf, you scared me.” 

“Sorry. I was just..passing by.” 

“Shouldn’t you be in class?”

He smiled. “Yeah but..I needed a walk first.” He looked cautiously at her. “Are you okay?” 

She nodded almost forcedly. “Yeah, sure. I just needed some time by myself.”

“Two months here and you’re tired already?” Both of them chuckled. 

“It’s not that.”

“Well. I’ll leave you be. But if you ever need to talk, you know that you have a friend.” 

“Thank you Raf.” 

-

Josie was heading to the library to study, thinking to find also Hope, but she wasn’t even there. She didn’t know what got into her last night and she felt still mad at her for making a scene, but the fact that she hadn’t seen her all day was making her feel on edge. 

She sat down the table and sighed. Lizzie stared at her carefully. Then Josie raised her eyes to look at her a little annoyed. 

“What?”

“Josie, have you really not talked to her at all since last night?” 

Josie kept quiet.

“Well, just because I think you should know. I analyzed your drink after Hope told me what she saw.”

“You what? Are you serious Lizzie?! You’re on her side?”

Lizzie frowned. “It’s not about picking sides Josie. And for the record, she was right.”

Josie’s face dropped. “What?”

“There was some magical powder in the drink Josie. I’m not a scientist so of course I used a spell. It was made in order to make you do impulsive things, things like kissing her maybe. You could’ve known too if you hadn’t been so busy defending that trollop.” 

Josie sighed heavily and hid her face in her hands. “I’m the worst.” 

“Just go talk to her.” 

“Yes..yes, I’m going.”

While she was standing up Jade walked over the table with a smile. “Hey you. You’re done already?”

“I don’t have time for this right now Jade.” She tried to walk away.

“Wait, what’s wrong?”

Josie stared at her with an angry look. “I think you know.” And then just walked away.

Jade met Lizzie’s death stare and sighed. “I didn’t do it to hurt her. I just wanted to shake things around a bit..” 

“And take advantage of her?! Because that’s what you would have done. Did you think about that?”

“What? No! I didn’t want to take advantage of her!”

“Look, I know you’ve been pining on my sister for 8 months, but she’s currently in a relationship. You know that read head girl? The tribrid? Who looks like a goddess walking on earth? Yes, her girlfriend.”

“Okay Lizzie, you made your point.” She wasn’t in the mood for a fight so she just walked away.

-

Hope was washing her hands into the lake and then freshened up her face, hot from the heat of the sun. Then she heard the clicking of the wooden and turned around to find Josie standing there, playing nervously with her hands. 

“How did you find me?”

“I looked for you everywhere. This was my last guess.”

Hope kept quiet.

“I’m sorry, Hope.” 

“You know, Josie..I knew that girl was into you from the first moment I saw her. But I tried not to be one of those psycho ass jealous girlfriend.” 

”You were jealous?” She couldn’t help but smile, but Hope was still mad.

“That’s not the point. The point is that I wouldn’t just make a scene because I’m feeling jealous. I had an actual reason.”

“I know.”

“But when I tried to tell you the truth you still doubted me.”

“It just didn’t seem fair, Hope. It was too easy to just blame her and..”

“Oh right, so you choose not to believe your girlfriend.”

“Hope..” She walked closer to her and took her hands, staring gently at her. “I don’t want to fight you because of this. Let’s just..take a deep breath.” 

Hope closed her eyes and did so. Meanwhile Josie left a sweet kiss on her forehead and then cupped her cheeks in her hands. 

“I love you. And I love the way you always look out for me. How you want to protect me. And I shouldn’t have taken it on you.“

“No, you shouldn’t have.” 

Josie smiled softly while Hope tried hard not to, but eventually she gave up and smiled back. 

“There it is.” Josie said happily. “So..you are jealous.”

“Can you just drop it?! Yes! Of course it bothers me that someone else might look at you the way I do.”

“Oh I don’t think there is someone who looks at me the way you do.” She smirked at her while Hope smiled amused.

Then Josie leaned over to her ear to whisper something. “You just said something cheesy.”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

Hope suddenly jumped on her surrounding Josie’s waist with her legs. Luckily Josie grabbed her in time to hold her. Hope had a wide smile on her face. Then she closed the distance in a sweet kiss, that soon became desperate and passionate kisses.

-

Later that night Josie went down to the kitchen to take something to drink.   
Suddenly she started feeling cold, as if there were blows of wind inside. She looked around her and then at the window. It was closed. 

Suddenly she started hearing whispers, though she didn’t know what they were saying. As she was looking outside there was a dark figure with a knife that appeared and disappeared, just like a quick flash of lightning. 

She jumped scared and dropped the glass on the floor. She looked around her to make sure no one was there, still gasping for air. 

Her weird feeling had been right all along, there was something bad happening. 

Josie was lying on her side, her eyes wide open but clearly tired. The sun was up and it was almost time to get up, but she really didn’t feel like doing it.

She told Lizzie she felt a bit sick but she didn’t believe her, so she asked Hope if something was wrong between them, but when she denied it Hope knew there was something more that had to be bothering her.

Without her knowing, Hope went to find Josie in her room after Lizzie left for classes. When she entered the room Josie was with her head sinking in the pillow so she didn’t even see her. 

“If you’re looking for your book of spells I don’t know where it is.” 

Hope walked quietly to lie down next to her, spooning her from behind and sinking her face in Josie’s neck.

Josie suddenly relaxed and sighed in relief. “This..was all I needed.” 

Hope smiled even though Josie couldn’t see it, then she left soft kisses on her neck. “What’s wrong?” 

“I don’t want you to worry.”

“I’m always going to worry about you.”

“I know.” Josie sighed and then turned around to face her, still surrounded by Hope’s arms.

“Last night I was in the kitchen. I heard something..whispers. Then I..looked outside and I saw like..a ghost.”

“A ghost?” 

“Yeah..it was dressed like some soldier. I don’t know. And..he had a knife. It all happened so fast. And..for a moment I felt so cold.”

Hope kissed her on her forehead and caressed her cheek. ”We’re gonna find out what’s wrong. Okay?”

Josie smiled weakly. “Huh, you said we.” 

Hope smiled back at her. “Well I can’t do this by myself. We’re a team.” 

“Really?”

“Of course. As long as you stay far away from the actual danger.”

“I knew there was a catch.” 

Hope chuckled. “But no. We’re doing this together. I promise.” 

“Good. Because there’s no way I’m gonna let you do the hero by yourself.”

-

Dorian and Alaric were in their office when suddenly there was a knock on the door. 

“Come in.” 

“Hi..Dr. Saltzman, can I talk to you?” Hope asked him.

“Sure Hope, what’s the matter?”

“It’s about Josie.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s sleeping for now but um..something happened and it’s making me worry.”

She filled him in about what Josie saw and Dorian and Alaric instantly realized this couldn’t be good. 

“I don’t know if I’ve ever read about this in the books we have, maybe we should look deep into it. Has she seen something else since then?”

“Not that I know of, no.”

“Well if she does, tell me. Whatever detail she can have might be important.” 

“I can look into my aunt’s books if I found something.”

“I don’t want to bring you into this.” 

Hope frowned. “I already am into this. It’s Josie we’re talking about, I won’t just seat aside and wait for you to maybe come out with something. No offense.” 

“Fine. Do your researches, but if you find out something you tell me, all right? I mean it Hope.”

“Yeah okay.” 

-

Later that night Hope decided to do something for Josie so that she could take her mind off of everything, so she went by the deck near the lake and set up a nice date. 

She lighted candles all the way to the deck and then all around them. Two blankets and a dozens of pillows placed perfectly on it.

While she was lighting the last candle Josie arrived and stopped to admire what her girlfriend had set up with a wide smile on her face.

“I’m really sorry to tell you this, but...this? This is cheesy, Hope.” 

Hope bursted into laugh and faced her. “Relationships are about compromises.”

“This is not compromising. This is admitting that you, Hope Mikaelson, are just too head over heels for me.” 

“We might just skip the rest of the night and I can throw you in the lake right now.” 

“Huh, so midnight bath? You have my attention.” 

She chuckled. “Just sit down.” 

“All right.” 

Josie sat down next to Hope who instantly pulled her into a tight embrace, her head resting on Hope’s chest. 

“I have something for you.” 

“What is it?”

Hope pulled out a big diamond prism. Josie’s eyes widened. “Wow. Hope, you didn’t have to buy me a giant diamond to impress me.” 

“Shut up. This is something my aunt Freya gave me when we came here. It can projects whatever place you’d rather be. She thought I might want to project myself in New Orleans if I missed it.” 

“That’s so thoughtful. But I’m literally in my favorite place right now, why would I want to be somewhere else?”

Hope smiled and chuckled softly. “You really don’t make it easy for me, Josie.” 

“What?” 

“Trying not to love you so much.”

“Why? Would you want to love me less?” 

“Maybe.”

“Because..?”

“Because if anything ever happens I would go mad. And it already happened once.”

“So, psychological analysis: You love me so much that you wish you could love me less because if anything ever happens your love for me would tear you apart.”

“Have you been seeing Emma?”

“Yes.” 

“Oh, makes sense.”

Josie smiled. “But hey, it’s kind of sweet if you think about it.”

“No it’s not. It’s terrifying.”

“I get it. But you don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself and like..try to love me less.”

“You’re right.”

“And more importantly, don’t you think I deserve all the love you can give me?! Why would you keep it for yourself? That’s selfish.” 

Hope laughed and squeezed her tight into her arms, placing a sweet kiss on her cheek. 

“Of course you deserve it. All of it.”

“Good.” Josie smiled happily. 

They stayed quiet for a moment, then Josie took the prism and looked at it.

“So, where do we wanna go?”

“Anywhere is fine with me.” 

“I might have an idea.” 

Josie had just walked Hope back to her room and now she was heading to hers, but suddenly the lights started to go on and off, the wind grew stronger. 

She kept walking slowly, careful but also scared of whatever thing was happening. Suddenly she felt a strong grip around her mind, like a strong headache hitting her. She kneeled down holding her head.

When she raised her gaze there was the same figure she’d seen the night before. It was all dressed in ragged clothes. The sound of chains around his wrists that rubbed to the ground. And that same knife she saw the night before in his hand.

“What are you?” She groaned in pain, her head still hurting. 

When he got to her, he pointed the knife on her wrist and started sinking in the blade to mark her. At that point Josie started screaming and this got Hope’s attention who was just down the hallway. 

Hope instantly rushed out of her room and she ran to the monster and took the chain to move his hand away from Josie. Then she kicked him in the stomach, making him stagger backwards. 

“Not her.” 

Then she tossed a spell making him fly outside the window, that shattered in pieces. But when she looks out to the ground, he had already disappeared.

She quickly went back to Josie who was still recovering on the floor.

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah I’m..Hope, what was that?”

“I don’t know, but we’re gonna find out. Can you stand?”

“I..I think so.”

“Stay with me tonight, you’ll be safe.”


	27. Find a way to remember me

It was a late Sunday morning and there was no class, so Hope decided to head to the library to see if she found something about this monster/spirit. She couldn’t say what it really was. 

The school was quiet since Alaric had already sent all the kids to their homes to keep them safe. If this thing had managed to enter the school it was very much possible that it would come back for more. 

Meanwhile Josie was looking around the school for Hope and when she saw her sitting at the table with five books open in front of her, she casted a silent spell that closed all the books with a wave of her hand. 

Hope frowned and turned around to see Josie smirk from behind the pillar. Hope smiled softly.

“I woke up alone in your bed.”

“I‘m sorry. I just wanted to make a quick stop here, I didn’t realize it had been hours.”

“You’ve been here for hours?! What happened to ‘We are a team’?” 

“We still are. I just wanted you to rest.”

“I can’t rest when there’s a mercenary who probably wants to kill me.”

“No one’s going to kill you.”

“Again.” 

Hope looked at her with a scolding look. Meanwhile Josie smiles as to apologize. “Sorry. Not funny. Got it.” 

“There’s nothing here anyway. I don’t know where else to look.”

“Have you looked in Freya’s books?”

“Actually no.” 

“See? You need me. You need my brain.”

Hope chuckled. “Give me a break.”

“You’re not having any break from me. I’m your biggest nightmare.” She whispered closing more and more the distance between them. 

“I would gladly let you haunt me forever.” She whispered back and closed the distance in a sweet kiss. 

“Girls?” Raf walked in with Landon by his side. 

“Hey, why are you two still here?” 

“Where else could we go?”

“Anywhere but here.” Hope said.

“Nah I don’t think so. You may need all the help you can get.” 

“Okay guys, we’ve got some news.” Dorian and Alaric came into the library to update them.

“So, this spirit is called The Mercenary, he looks for people who might be of some value for him, and feeds on the memories that other people have of those people he takes.” 

Josie and Hope shared a look. “I read about this in your aunt’s book.”

“Then maybe we can find something more about it there. But hear this. He marks the people he means to take, and when he does, he takes that person with him and that person is completely erased from the memory of everyone who knew them.” 

“But why?” Hope asked.

“That, I don’t know. There were some pages missing.” 

“Then we need to keep looking.” 

A few hours later, after they trained for a while, Josie went to her room to take a shower. As she was looking for clean clothes in her drawer, her gaze fell on the pictures she had hanging on her wall, particularly one.

She took it and started looking closely at it, unable to recall when that picture was taken or who even was that girl next to her.

In the same moment Lizzie and Hope walked into the room and Josie looked at them in confusion.

“Who is this girl and why can’t I remember her?”

They glanced at the photo and both of them were just as confused as her. 

“I’ve never seen her.” Lizzie said.

“It’s him. He’s been taking people. Maybe she came here at the school?” 

“I..don’t know. But I feel like I should know her.” 

“Dad said that more people have been disappearing. Not that anyone would know who they are of course.” 

“We need to find out how to take down this thing before it takes any other of us.” 

Josie nodded and then turned around still looking at the picture, while Hope left the room. Josie looked down to her wrist and run her finger over the cross mark she noticed that same morning. 

She didn’t have the courage to say that she was already as good as gone. The only thought of it was enough to make her heart break. She just took a deep breath and tried to stay calm and in control. 

-

That same night they were all together since it was best than be separated, just in case anything happened. If Josie didn’t think about the fact that there was some spirit chasing her, again, she might think this was the most normal and human thing of all. Just relaxing and having fun without the complications of the supernatural. 

She had been off all night though. She tried hard not to show it and looking at Hope without her noticing was comforting enough to soften her heart. 

When they were finally into bed, Josie knew it would be hard to tell her the truth. She had to. This was not something she could hide from her. 

Hope lied down and sighed, feeling finally comforted and relaxed for a moment. 

“I’m exhausted.” 

Josie was staring at her silently. Hope turned to her side to face her and smiled softly.

“Hi you.”

“Hi.” Josie smiled back.

“You know what we should do when this is over?”

“What?”

“Travel the world and then settle far away from our homes. Because apparently bad things happen when we’re there.”

“That’s true. And I’m in.”

Hope studied her expression and felt like something was wrong. “Are you okay?” 

“I have to tell you something.” 

“Hey. It’s okay. We..” She reached for Josie’s hand but her eyes caught the mark on Josie’s wrist. Hope’s expression changed all of the sudden, like she’d seen a ghost. 

“Hope..”

“No..this can’t be..”

Both of them sat down, Hope was starting to lose it while Josie tried to keep her calm. “Look at me, please?” Now she was trying hard not to cry. It was the last thing Hope needed right now.

But Hope’s eyes were already filled with tears. “I have to call my aunt.” 

“No, Hope. Listen to me.” 

Hope looked at her again, the pain visible in her eyes.

“You have to find a way to remember me. To bring me back. Bring everyone back.”

Hope started crying. “I don’t want to forget. I don’t..”

Now it was becoming difficult not to cry for Josie. “I know. I know. But you will. And I don’t know what’s going to happen. But I know you’ll find a way.”

“I can’t do this alone. We were supposed to do this together.” 

Josie was now crying along with her. “I don’t like the fact that you’ll be the one who has to rescue me all over again either, but here we are.” 

“I won’t let it take you. No..”

“Can we not think about this right now? Would you just hold me?” 

Hope tried to calm down and nodded, wiping off the tears from her face. She surrounded Josie with her arms as to make sure nothing could take her away from her hold. And this was enough to make Josie’s heart break silently. 

-

The next day Hope woke up before Josie, but this time she didn’t get up. She just wanted to look at her as long as she could, although she was not giving up. 

After maybe an hour Josie started waking up slowly. She rubs her eyes and then looks at Hope. 

“What are you doing?” She mumbled still half asleep.

“Just admiring.”

Josie smiled with her eyes still closed and Hope couldn’t resist but smile back.  
Josie reached at her with her hand and pulls her closer, sinking her face into Hope’s neck and leaving sweet kisses.

Then she ran her hand under Hope’s shirt to caress her stomach. She felt Hope’s skin shivering under her touch. 

Then she catches her lips into a deep kiss, moving her hand behind Hope’s back. Hope broke the kiss to catch some air while Josie kept leaving wet kisses on her neck.

“Josie..what are you doing?”

She stared into her eyes for a moment. “Making sure you have something to remember.” 

Hope felt her body on fire for a moment and arched her back while Josie kept touching and kissing every inch of her. She started to take off her shirt and then her shorts, then she kneeled on the bed to do the same and placed herself on top of Hope. 

“Josie are you sure..”

“..I don’t know what’s going to happen Hope, I just know that the last thing I want is to feel you.” She leaned closer to her ear and then bit down her neck. “And for you to feel me.” 

Hope gasped heavily and then run her hands on Josie’s back, took off her bra and tossed it away, then clinging on Josie with her legs surrounding her lower back.

Soon both of them were completely naked and the room was filled with their moans and whispering to each other, until they were exhausted enough and ended up just staring at each other in silent, still caught up in the magic of the moment.

“I love you, Hope.” 

Hope kept looking at her in silence. But her eyes said it all.

“And I know you won’t say anything now, but I feel like I need to say this.” She paused. “You saw the good in me even at my worst. You always took risks and did everything that was even beyond your power to save me. But I promise you..”  
She caressed her cheek gently and stared right into her eyes. “I will find my way back to you.” 

“Josie..”

“Your next words better be good.” 

Hope smiled weakly and tried to stay strong for Josie. “I love you too. And I will find you, whatever it takes.”

She smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Hope’s lips. 

-

Later that day Josie decided to spend some time with Lizzie, though she decided not to tell anyone else about it, not even Lizzie. She feared that knowing might do her more bad than good, and as wrong as it was she figured it was best for her to just forget her and don’t feel the pain.

She knew that eventually her sister would forgive her. They always forgive each other. 

Meanwhile Hope was in her room trying to find anything in her aunt’s book, but besides the origin of the spirit there was nothing that could tell her how to fight it.

She threw the book on the other side of the room and sinked her head into her hands. 

“Hope? Are you okay?” She suddenly jumped.

“Raf. Yeah, sorry it’s just..”

“Stressing, I know.” 

He sat down her bed and took a look of the objects she had on her bed. 

“What’s all of this?”

“It’s..it’s nothing. I was just reorganizing.”

“This is Josie’s necklace.”

“It is.”

He looked at her suspiciously. 

“Raf you have to promise me something.”

“What?”

“That you will help me defeat this thing. I really need you.” 

“Of course Hope. You got me, you don’t even have to ask.” 

They smiled at each other and then agreed on keep an eye around the school that night. 

-

“Josie? Where’s Hope?” Lizzie asked. 

“I think she’s outside with Raf. Why?”

She groaned. “I’m trying to get his attention but I keep missing him.” 

Josie smiled. “I think he has a crush on Hope.” 

“Seriously?!”

“I don’t know, it’s just a feeling.”

“Tell her to break his heart!” 

“I’m not worried. And you just try to relax around him. Listen to him. Ask him about his favorite things, I don’t know.” 

“So you mean I should stop being a narcissist?”

“Pretty much.” Josie chuckled.

“How did you do it with Hope?” 

She smiled almost sadly. “We..listened to each other. I just let myself being vulnerable around her, maybe because she was so determined to save me even when she didn’t know me that much and I had dark magic in me.” 

“Well I suppose I can try to be like you two.” She focused on Josie who seemed lost in her thoughts. “What’s up with you?”

“Nothing. Everything’s fine.” 

Lizzie found it hard to believe but decided not to pry. Then she left to find Rafael while Josie stayed in the kitchen by herself.

It was in that moment that she heard a door slamming open and a strong blow of wind on her skin. 

She instantly felt scared and got ready to defend herself. Then there he was, the spirit walking rapidly towards her.  
She tried to cast a spell and then another, but it didn’t work.

“No no no...why isn’t my magic working?” 

When he was close enough to grab her she quickly grabbed a knife and stabbed him right in the palm of his hand, making him groan in pain and maybe even angry. 

She tried to run away to warn the others but he threw his chains at her in order to surround her waist and stop her.

Josie fell on the floor but tried to free herself from the chains while he kept pulling her closer. 

The only thing she could try to do was throw some kicks and punches, then she managed to free herself and run again.

“Hope! Hope!!” 

She kept glancing behind her seeing the mercenary still behind her, and this time he tossed his chains to grab around her ankle and made her fall again, hitting her head on the floor. 

She groaned in pain and took a while to try to escape him again. As she was fighting him again Hope, Raf and Lizzie were finally there, but he was already leaving with Josie on his shoulder.

“Josie? No! You’re not taking her!” 

She run towards them but as she tried to hit him, he disappeared into smoke. 

Suddenly everyone in the room stopped. Hope was still looking ahead of her with her eyes wide open, both scared and angry. Then she frowned in confusion, unable to remember why she was there and what was happening. 

“Does someone want popcorns?” Landon suddenly asked.

“Um..sure.” Raf answered, still a bit disoriented.

“Hope, are you okay?”

She was brought back from her thoughts.  
“Yeah, I..I don’t know what came over me.”

While everyone else was looking for food, Hope kept feeling this sense of emptiness in her chest. She tried to recollect her thoughts but nothing came up. Then she felt something hard in her pocket, she pulled it out to look at it. 

It was a red stone who kept lightning up. She knew that stone was used to make sure someone’s heartbeat was still there and was still alive, but whose heartbeat was that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! I’m giving you two chapters today since I just started writing the ending of this story. There will be a few other chapters and a few other threats though. ;)
> 
> For this part of the story I got inspired by Teen Wolf and the Ghost riders storyline but I changed it a little.
> 
> Who do you think is the girl they can’t remember? 👀 
> 
> ps. If you‘re wondering about the stone: If you remember, the red stone with Josie’s heartbeat was the one Aurora showed to Hope when she captured Josie. But she never did anything with it in the end. But Hope still kept it. 
> 
> Let me know what you think <33


	28. A feeling of sadness

Hope was sitting on her bed, watching all the objects she had collected in a box. She was looking at them one by one trying to remember something, anything, but nothing clicked. 

Lizzie came into the room interrupting her thoughts. “Hey, what are you doing? Raf is waiting for you for training.”

“Sorry I was just..looking at this things.”

Lizzie sat down beside her and looked at the box. “Who’s Josie?”

“Someone we forgot, I guess.” 

Lizzie’s face was thoughtful. “Who do you think she was?” 

“I..I think we were together.”

She showed her a photo of them kissing happily by the lake. 

“Oh my god.”

“I think this is hers.”

She showed Lizzie the red stone that lit up in her hand.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a magical stone. You spell it by linking it to someone’s heartbeat. And it’s..it’s still beating. So we know that wherever these people are, they are alive.”

“But since you have all this stuff, wouldn’t you be able to locate her?”

Hope sighed. “I mean I could try.” 

Lizzie nodded and then Hope closed her eyes, holding the stone in her hands to cast the spell.

“Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras...Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras... Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras...” 

Hope opened her eyes and sighed. “I can’t see her.” 

“Maybe she’s cloaked.”

“No it’s..it’s weird. It’s like she doesn’t exist, so I could never reach her with a spell. But this thing says she’s alive. It doesn’t make sense.”

“So how do we do?”

“Well, maybe we should follow the mercenary when he comes back.”

“Are you out of your mind?! He would take you and if we forget you too we’re definitely screwed! We’re all going to oblivion!”

“Relax, I won’t let him take me. But the closer I can get to him, the better.”

“Me and Raf will help.”

“No. I can’t risk your lives too.”

“Wait until my father hears about this.”

“You won’t tell him because you won’t remember me saying this to you.”

“Hope Andrea Mikaelson. Don’t you dare..”

Hope waved her hand doing a silent spell and Lizzie stopped talking for a moment. Then she looked at Hope’s hand halfway in the air.

“Were you about to slap me?”

“Maybe.”

Lizzie frowned and then stood up to leave. “I’ll see you later.” 

-

Josie opened her eyes and looked around her in confusion. She was in in a room completely painted white. She looked around her and noticed that instead of a door, there were bars. 

“You’re awake.”

Josie turned around to see the other person sitting on the bed on the other side of the room.

“Jade?”

“Hi Josie.” 

Josie frowned and sat down the bed. “How..how do I remember you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t remember you, when you were taken. I looked at our pictures and I couldn’t tell who you were, but now I can.”

“You have pictures of us? Cute.” 

Josie pressed her lips together feeling awkward but then changed the subject.

“This means that if we’re taken we don’t forget.” 

“Who is this thing, Josie? It’s..scary. He comes here everyday with someone new and just tosses them into a room. 

“Do you know where we are?”

“No. He doesn’t let us out.” 

“What’s the point of this?” Josie asked mostly to herself. 

“I don’t know. But to be honest, I’m glad to have a familiar face in this forgotten hell.” 

Josie smiled softly as Jade did the same. 

“We have to get out of here.”

“Your magic doesn’t work in here. I can’t even feel the hunger.”

“What can you hear?”

Jade frowned. “I can’t hear anything Josie. It’s like we’re underground or just in a soundproof box.”

“We have to get out of here.”

“Sure. Let me know when you’ve found a hairpin to open that.”

Josie started looking around the room and then down the hallway. It looked like an infinite black tube. She looked at the only window on the wall. It was fake. 

“This is like some doll house. This isn’t even true.”

“How do you know?”

“I am a good observer.” 

“No kidding.” 

Josie looked away from her, feeling that sense of awkwardness again. Jade noticed and squeezed her eyes and shook her head. 

“I’m sorry, Josie.” 

“Jade it’s fine.”

“No it’s not. It was wrong. It was messed up on so many levels. I swear I don’t have anything against Hope. She’s great, I can see that. It’s just..” She paused for a moment. “I’ve just wanted it to be me for a long time. And when I saw you back at school with her...I tried to get in the middle of it. It was stupid.”

“It was.” 

“I’m sorry.”

Josie smiled weakly. “I know. It’s okay.”

Suddenly they heard the sound of chains clicking. Josie instantly got up to look outside the bars. 

“Hey! Come here! I have some complaints about room service!” She screamed and slammed her hand against the bars. 

“Josie no! Don’t you think I tried? He can hurt you!”

A moment later he was in front of her, groaning and breathing heavily just like a monster. He runs an arm through the gate and grabs her by the neck, raising her from the ground while Josie tried to ease the hold he had on her.

“Don’t touch her!” Jade broke an iron leg of her bed and hit him on his wrist strong enough to bend it. 

He screamed and let her fall into the ground while she tried to catch her breath.

“Are you okay?” Jade kneeled down to help her, but at the same time the mercenary casted a spell and made them both fly and slam against the wall, leaving them there hanging for a while, just to let them fall hard on the floor from two meters high.

Then he just left while both of them stood there on the floor, recovering from the moment. Josie smiled for a moment and Jade frowned.

“Is this funny to you?”

“No but at least we know that magic isn’t impossible here.” 

“What do you mean?”

“He just did magic. So this means my magic can work, I just have to focus enough.”

“Even if your magic works, we get out and then what?”

“We let out the others too and then we get the hell out of here.”

“We don’t even know where ‘here’ is.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

-

Hope was walking down the deck to meet Rafael for their training as usual, just to find him and Lizzie making out on the bench. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

“I thought we had to train.”

They broke the kiss as Lizzie looked at Hope almost guilty. “Sorry Hope. Wanna join?”

“Lizzie!” Raf scolded her.

“I’ll pass, thank you.”

“You should like, you know..open yourself to some new experiences.”

“Oh my god.” Raf brings a hand on his forehead, giving up. 

“Let it go Lizzie.” 

“Fine. But you know that Landon has been pining over you for three months and you’re still doing nothing about it. What is it that you want?”

“I want to get all those people back.”

“You mean Josie.” 

Hope tensed. “Yes. She’s part of them of course.”

“Hope, you don’t even remember this girl. You know nothing about her.”

“But I feel like I do. Deep down.” 

“Have you found out anything new?” Raf asked.

“Yes. This spirit is not from this world, meaning he doesn’t come here and stays here. He just passes by, takes what he needs and then leaves to go in some parallel dimension.” 

“But how do we access that?”

“That’s the part I’m missing.”

“He should still have like some door, a way to enter.”

“I have to look more into this, but I think we’re close to see where everyone is.”

-

Hope was looking through Freya’s books to find some other lead about how to stop the mercenary spirit and fortunately she seemed to finally start getting closer.

“Raf!”

“What?”

“I think I’ve found something. Here says that three hundred years ago there was an army of mercenaries who was traveling to Russia and on their way they slaughtered an entire village. Everyone died, except a woman who was a witch and casted a curse on the mercenaries, who were left to be forgotten by their families or whoever knew them.”

“So this is linked to the why they do what they do?”

“They want to make people feel the pain of being forgotten.” 

“Okay it’s..mean and all but, we have one mercenary.”

“Here says that the one left killed the others, made them a sacrifice and became strong enough to gain the power he has now.”

“Okay. Now what else do we need?”

“We need to find the door to his world.”

“Why hasn’t he shown up yet? It’s been three months since we last heard of him.”

“I know what to do.”

“What?”

“I’ll do a spell to make him come to me.”

“Are you out of your mind Hope?! You can’t bring him here. You tried it once and we barely made it out without getting marked. Listen to me, let this go. We’ll look for the door another way.“

“Fine. I’ll..let it go.” 

-

Josie was sitting on the floor with her back and head against the wall, her eyes closed while her head was pointing at the ceiling.

Jade was facing Josie from the other side of the room, also sitting on the floor. Both of them were silent. Time seemed to pass slowly.

“Because of you I don’t have a bed now.”

Josie smiled. “You can have mine. I’ll adjust.”

“Please.” She chuckled while Josie kept smiling and stayed silent.

Jade knew something was on her mind, and as much as she wanted to pretend to be mad at her she couldn’t. She couldn’t even be jealous anymore. But she did care deeply for her. 

“What’s on your mind?”

If she might have seemed relaxed before, now she looked really sad.

“I’m just...thinking about how to get out of here.”

“And besides that?”

Josie looked at her unsure of what to say and looked away again. 

“Josie, you can talk to me. We’re roommates here. And we’re basically each other’s emotional support. I think we shouldn’t hold back how we’re feeling.”

“I’m just...trying to hold on.” Josie said while her voice broke, betraying her. 

Jade kept silent for a while, feeling bad for her who had surely lost more than she had. 

“Do you miss her?” 

Josie closed her eyes and smiled, raised her eyes wet with tears at the ceiling trying to hold them back. “Ohh god...why did you have to bring that up.” She sniffles and sighs.

“How do you think she’s doing?” 

She smiles weakly. “I think she’s trying. I know she is.” 

“She wouldn’t be Hope if she didn’t.”

“Yeah.” She chuckled and wiped off a tear from her cheek. Then she went on. “You know what’s the only thing that’s comforting me right now?” 

“What?”

“That she’s not hurting. She’s not heartbroken, because she doesn’t remember me. And as long as it breaks me, it’s okay.” She paused for a moment and remembered something that made her smile. “Not long ago she told me that she was trying so hard not to love me so much.”

“Really?” Jade widened her eyes in surprise, but in an amused way.

“Yeah. She said that if anything ever happened she would fall apart.”

At that point she started losing it and needed to stop talking, she brought a hand on her mouth, trying to hold back the sobs. Jade looked at her with sad eyes. She almost thought to get up and hug her. 

“And now I’m the one who is.” She laughed between tears and sniffled, wiping tears off her face. 

At that point Jade decided to go seat next to her and took her hand to comfort her. 

“You’ll see her again. I know you will. We’ll be okay.” 

Josie smiled and rested her head on her shoulder, falling asleep a few minutes later. 

-

Hope had been having trouble sleeping for a while now. She seemed to feel always uncomfortable in her bed, and more to that she had been having dreams that she could never quite put together or even remember.

*** She was half asleep when she heard someone call her name, as if they where right next to her. She opened her eyes slowly to see a girl lying next to her, her eyes closed. “Hug me. I’m cold.” The girl mumbled next to her. “Who are you?” Hope asked. “What do you mean? You know who I am.” ***

Suddenly Hope was woken up by Lizzie screaming at the side of her bed.

“Hope!”

“Jesus Lizzie! What?!”

“Hey relax. I just wanted to tell you that we have a lead.”

“We do?” Her face was hopeful.

“Yes.” 

“Well? You woke me up for this, talk!”

“Hey hey! What’s going on with you today?”

She sinked her face into her hands and sighed heavily.

“I was having a dream. I..I think it was Josie.”

“A sex dream?”

“No! Jesus Lizzie. I just..it felt so real. And now I have this feeling..”

“What feeling?”

“Of sadness. It’s..”

Lizzie sat down on the bed and took her hands. “It’s okay. It’s not new that she was probably very important to you. And apparently to me too.” 

“Please tell me the lead.”

“The door is underground, more precisely, it’s like a crack in the earth that leads to an upside down-parallel universe or something. Mg used too many nerdy words. But anyway, we should know what we’re going to find there before trying to open it or whatever thing is you want to do.”

“You’re right.”

“I am? Yes. We have to look into it and find a spell that destroys it.”

“Wait a minute. If you destroy it won’t the people in there be trapped?”

“They won’t. I’m going in and getting them all out.”

“Very funny Hope. Now can you stop being suicidal and make together an actual plan?”

“Lizzie!”

“Seriously! Oh god. You’re so reckless. You think you’re so brave but you seem not to even care about what happens to you in the process!”

“Why are you yelling at me now?!”

“Because I care about you Hope! And it’s very likely that the person who cares about you even more is in there.” 

Hope sighed and tried to think this through. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“I care about you too, you know.” Hope smiled.

“Good to know. Now get your ass out of that bed.” 

Hope smiled at herself and did so. Her mind instantly went to Josie again. She needed to find that spell, and probably she needed all the magic she could get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!! I’m giving you two more chapters today. The story has another 7 chapters left and I might give you more of them again tomorrow. :) 
> 
> I really hope you’re enjoying the story so far. There’s also another thing I wanted to tell you. 
> 
> I’ve been thinking about a new hosie fic set in the noir world. Let’s say it wouldn’t be a simulation but reality. There would always be a murder case or more in the plot 👀 let me know if you’re interested so maybe I can work on it. I’m collecting ideas. 
> 
> Enjoy the chapters <33


	29. I remember everything

“Weren’t my last words to call me as soon as you needed?!” Freya scolded Hope getting out of the car.

Hope smiled. “I missed you too aunt Freya.” 

Davina walked over her and greeted her with a hug. “Don’t mind her. How are you Hope?”

“Well for starter, I would really like to know who’s missing from my memories. And..that’s pretty much it.”

“We will. Now, we think we may have something to destroy this portal. It’s like breaking the connection between two worlds. Ours and the oblivion. And we have a spell for that. But there’s just one thing.”

“What?”

“Only a Bennett witch can do it.” 

“Where do we find a Bennet witch?”

“Well, I might help with that.” Lizzie said walking into the room nonchalantly.

“Bonnie Bennet is basically my aunt, she will help.”

“All right, then get in contact with her. Meanwhile, I’m going to try something else.”

“What?” Hope asked confused.

“I’m going to try to communicate with any witch in there.”

“It’s impossible. I couldn’t even locate Josie.”

“Hope, it’s not impossible. This spirit uses magic. In his world there must be some source.”

“Then I’ll help you.” 

-

Josie was sitting with her legs crossed on the floor, eyes closed, whispering something. Jade had just woken up and looked weirdly at Josie.

“Are you doing yoga?” 

“I’m trying a spell.” She tried to keep focused.

“How’s it going so far?”

“It’s like my magic it’s blocked, but I can find a way.” Maybe too focused. 

“Josie?”

“Quiet.” She shut her up. 

“Cerco il se ra ci. Cerco il se ra ci. Cerco il se ra ci.. Cerco il se ra ci. Cerco il se ra ci. Cerco il se ra ci.”

Suddenly Hope appeared to her like a quick flash. Hope felt it too, she did see her for a moment and felt like she remembered something for a split second.

“Hope? What’s wrong?”

“She..she reached out. I saw her.”

“Really?”

“I..” 

“Hope? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know I just..I feel like crying. Why do I feel like crying?”

“Hey. It’s okay. This is good thing, it means that probably the fact that she reached you brought your feelings for her back to surface, even though you still don’t remember her.” 

Hope nodded and tried to calm down. “We have to try again.”

-

“I did it.” Josie said smiling widely and surprised by herself.

“You did?” Jade was shocked too.

“We have to leave, tonight.” 

Josie went to the bars and tried to cast a spell. 

“Incendia.” The locker of the gates started to become incandescent, burning more and more, but it didn’t seem to work. 

“Wait. Move.” Jade positioned herself to place a fine and strong kick on the locker, then another one and a third one. At the last attempt, it finally opened. 

“Remind me to take you with me next time I get into trouble.” Josie said making Jade smile.

“After you.”

“Oh now you chicken out.”

“Shut up, you’re a witch.”

“And you drink blood!”

“Can we not do this right now?!” Jade whispered. They walked down the dark hallway. 

“Post tenebras spero lucem.” A round ball of light appeared in Josie’s hands to help them see where they were going.

“Josie?”

Josie turned to her left to look through a gate. “Kaleb? Oh my god, you too?”

“Yeah apparently. How are you out?”

“We’re getting out of here.” She did a fire spell to the gate just like before.

“We have to get everyone out and find a way out.”

“I know where it is. When I arrived here I wasn’t totally unconscious, so I saw where it is.”Kaleb said.

“You’re a fucking blessing. Okay, free the others, we have to keep moving. If you see him, run.”

-

“Auntie Bonnie!” Lizzie jumped on her aunt hugging her tight.

“Hello Lizzie. It’s been so long.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“So, a portal to oblivion huh?”

“Yes.” 

“Let’s go save who we have to save then.” 

And so both of them, including Hope, Davina and Freya, went to the location where the portal would most likely be. 

“There is a building site half an hour from here. Where else could you find a crack into the earth if not where there are excavating machines?” 

When they finally got to the building site, they entered unnoticed and stood there for a moment.

“I don’t understand. Shouldn’t here be a giant hole or something?”

Suddenly they heard groaning and screaming angrily in their direction. It was the mercenary who was already throwing his chains at them as if they were whips. 

Davina quickly reacted and held him down, then Freya jumped in to help her. 

“Hope! Go with Bonnie, we’ll take care of him!” 

Hope nodded and with Bonnie and Lizzie they ran to the nearest building. 

“Of course! The elevator. It will bring us underground. Come!”

As they were going down Hope pulled out the red stone from her pocket and looked at it and sighed almost in relief. Bonnie noticed.

“You’re not one who gives up easily, are you Hope?” 

“I guess not.”

“Who’s that?”

“Someone I care about, I think.” 

The sound of the elevator interrupted them and their attention was now ahead of them. A giant black and green hole in the middle of the underground that also looked disgusting. It moved just like it was something alive. 

“How do we open it?” Hope asked her. 

“I know a spell for that too. But I need you both.” 

“Okay.” They held hands and started casting the spell.

“Phasmatos Siprum, Emnis Abortum, Fasila Quisa Exilum San..Phasmatos Siprum, Emnis Abortum, Fasila Quisa Exilum San..”

-

Meanwhile on the other side Josie and Jade had already freed everyone and were heading to their way out. 

“Have you seen him?” Josie asked Kaleb.

“No, he’s not here.” 

“Even better. Where’s this fucking door?” 

“Did you just curse again?!” Jade looked at her in shock.

“I’m so tired of staying in this forgotten hole, I just want to go back.”

“There we are.” 

“Here? But how..how do we open this?”

“You need a spell maybe. Do you know one?”

Josie felt pretty much under pressure. “I..I don’t know.”

“Think, Josie. You must know one.”

“To open a door, sure! Not that powerful to open a magical dark hole.”

“Hold on.” Kaleb said trying to focus on something.

“What?” 

“I hear voices.” 

“What are they saying?”

“Phasmatos Siprum...Emnis Abortum..Fasila Quisa..Exilum San.”

“It’s..It’s one of my aunt’s spell. Yes.”

“Do it. Everyone stay back!”

“You can do this Jo.” Josie smiled at Jade and closed her eyes to focus.

“Phasmatos Siprum, Emnis Abortum, Fasila Quisa Exilum San..Phasmatos Siprum, Emnis Abortum, Fasila Quisa Exilum San..” 

“It’s working!” Jade said.

On the outside the passage was already almost open, and on both sides they were so close to touch the central point to open it entirely. 

“Phasmatos Siprum, Emnis Abortum, Fasila Quisa Exilum San! Phasmatos Siprum, Emnis Abortum, Fasila Quisa Exilum San!” 

Suddenly a spiral of light, while Bonnie tried to keep the passage open, Hope went down ready to go in, but she noticed many people already standing there, starting to escape on the outside. 

Hope looked at every face, every person who passed by and some of them she even started to remember. Her head was spinning and she was paralyzed. She saw everyone but that girl she was supposed to save. 

“Jade! I can’t hold it much longer! Go!”

“I’m not leaving you!” 

“Go with the others, I’ll be right behind you.”

Jade hesitated for a moment but then went through. She was the last one left and as soon Hope saw her, she felt confused. She felt like she should know her, but she couldn’t remember. They just shared a look and then Jade screamed at her. 

“Keep it open! She’s still in there! Don’t let it close!”

Hope was both confused and scared. She couldn’t see nothing so she decided to go closer to the portal that was almost closed. It was in that moment that she saw Josie and Josie saw her, both of them locking their eyes together.

“Hope.” Josie whispered. 

Hope looked at her just like she was a stranger. Her mind was blank.  
It was in that moment that Josie started losing control of the spell and the passage was closing up rapidly. Hope was quick enough to lay a hand and grab Josie right before the passage closed behind them, Josie falling right into Hope’s arms.

Both of them were still overwhelmed by what just happened. Hope probably even more. Josie was looking at her waiting for her to say something, anything, afraid that she could not recognize her.

After a few seconds something changed into her eyes, like she came to a realization. She let out a shaky breath that she must have held until that moment, tears forming in her eyes, her voice broken.

“Josie?” 

Josie smiled widely between tears and cupped her cheeks into her hands. “You remember.”

“I remember everything.” 

Josie instantly closed the distance and pulled her in into an embrace. She thought that she probably never held Hope that tight like in that moment. And she promised herself that she wouldn’t allow anything or anyone try to take that away from her again. 

-

Hope entered Josie’s and Lizzie’s room, finding them talking and laughing sitting on the bed. At the same time both of them turned her gaze to look a her. 

“Everyone is safe. Your aunt closed the portal for good. Only a Bennet witch would be able open it.” 

“Good.” Josie smiled.

“I can’t believe that I forgot about my sister for almost four months.” She said emphasizing the number.

Josie was confused. “What? Four..months?”

Hope sat down and looked at her with a serious but soft look. “Yes Josie..it’s been four months.”

“But how? It only seemed like a week to me.”

“Maybe the time flows differently in there.”

Josie sighed heavily and glanced at Hope. “I can’t believe I missed four months. What...happened in the meanwhile?”

Lizzie smirked amused and glanced at Hope and then back at Josie. “Well, if you’re worried about your girlfriend moving on with someone else, you can relax. She rejected Landon and even a threesome with me and Raf.”

Josie widened her eyes in shock and hit her on the arm. “Lizzie!! Why would you even propose something like that?!”

“I’m sorry okay?! I didn’t remember you! I would never have asked her such things if I did!”

“But you still would!” 

“No! God no! That was just a joke! I’m with Raf and as much as I love Hope, I see her as my second mom. She basically gave me birth a second time!”

Hope was watching amused their interaction. Josie glanced at her with an angry look. “You think this is funny?!”

“Very. But she’s right. I couldn’t get you out of my head even if I didn’t remember you. And I did say no for the threesome.”

“Hope! Don’t play with me!” 

She smirked at Josie in a way that only Josie could understand. She couldn’t help but smile since she was clearly flirting. She stopped pretending to be mad and grabbed her hand in hers. 

“I think you two need some time alone. So, I’ll go find Raf. Have fun.” Lizzie smiled at them and left. 

Hope was looking at Josie as she wanted to say something but she wasn’t. Josie thought at this point that she wasn’t flirting anymore.

“What?”

“When I got you out I remembered Jade too. I guess it’s because I only know her because of you so I didn’t recognize her at first.”

Josie was trying to understand what was her point but she waited for her to go on instead of asking. 

“What..happened in there?”

Josie sighed amused. “Well beside the fact that it was only a week for me, what do you think could happen, Hope?” 

She stayed silent and kept her gaze down. Josie shook her head, she was a dumb idiot, she thought. 

“Since when do you doubt about my feelings for you?”

“I’ve never doubted about your feelings for me but you also just indirectly asked if I had moved on during this time.“

“Hope. All I could think about in there was you. I even cried in front of Jade because s h e brought you up and I had a massive mental breakdown over how much I missed you. And that I was even glad that you didn’t remember me because I knew you would fall apart.”

“Oh, do you still think about that thing I said to you?” Hope smiled softly while Josie kept silent. 

“I gave up trying to measure my love for you, Josie.” 

Josie couldn’t hold back the smile that appeared on her face. “Is that so?”

“It is. Now, if you‘d stop making fun of me, I would love to kiss my girlfriend properly.” She kneeled on the bed and started getting closer to close the distance between their lips.

“You approaching me this way seems very dangerous..I’m kinda scared.” Josie smiled, feeling Hope’s lips almost brushing against hers while she laid down, allowing Hope to place herself on top of her.

“You should be.” She whispered before crushing their lips together in a deep and needy kiss. 

Hope run her hands through Josie’s hair and she did the same with Hope’s, while she opened her legs to sit on Josie’s lap and then run a hand under her shirt to touch her stomach. 

Josie gasped heavily, not much for the surprise, but because she missed Hope’s touch on her. Before things could get much more heated, the door swung open.

“Oh dear god! Did you think I meant this when I told you two to have fun?!” Lizzie looked at them with a disgusted face while someone else followed right behind her. 

Hope rushed to seat next to Josie as both of them regained their composure. 

“I heard my niece was in a suicidal mission and my sister didn’t think I needed to know.” Rebekah was glancing at her with her arms crossed on her chest. Then she glanced at Josie. “How dare you disappear from my memories?” 

Josie smiled softly. “Hi Rebekah.” The blonde woman smiled back.

“Let’s go have some..other kind of fun, shall we?” She glanced at them and walked away as Lizzie tried to keep herself from laughing and followed her. 

Hope sighed and looked at Josie. “Now this is my personal hell.”

Josie laughed in amusement. “I know you had another idea of fun, but we’ll have time for that.” She got up glancing at her with a smirk. 

“She won’t give us that.” 

Josie chuckled. Both of them headed downstairs where everyone was drinking and finally enjoying a moment of peace. 

“Auntie Keelin?!” Hope’s smile widened and run into her arms. 

“Hi baby. How are you?”

“I’m good! How are you here?”

“I came with your aunt. There’s..something we had to tell you, I didn’t want you to know without me here.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah of course. It’s not something bad.”

“Then what is it?”

“Come on Hope, I think you can feel it.” Josie said to her since she had already figured it out. 

She frowned in confusion and kept looking at her aunt, then she focused on her with her magic and her ears, hearing a heart beating. 

“Oh my god. You’re...”

“I am.” 

“And I..”

“Will have a baby boy cousin, yes.”

“A boy?! How long have you been keeping this from me?”

“Something like four months.”

“Four months?!”

“We wanted to be sure.”

“No they actually were waiting for me to come back. They knew I had to be here for this.” Josie joked resting her head on Freya’s shoulder and holding her arm. 

“That’s also true.” She said.

Hope laughed and hugged both of them. “I’m so happy for you two. Do I get to choose the name?”

“I think you might like the one we thought.” Freya said with a soft smile.

“Niklaus.” Keelin said with a hint of emotion in her voice. 

Hope’s face seemed paralyzed for a moment, then she smiled softly and started crying almost automatically. Both Freya and Keelin pulled her in into a hug once again, while Josie met Hope’s gaze and smiled at her. 

While Hope spent some time with her family, Josie stepped outside and noticed Jade with a drink in her hand.

“I figure that’s not a real drink, is it?”

Jade chuckled. “No it’s not. I haven’t drank blood for a week, I’m hungry now.”

“I get it.” 

Jade studied her silently. “What’s next?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t think you’re going to stay here after what happened. It’s not like you like it here that much anyway.”

“That’s not true. I mean, you made my time here more bearable.” 

Jade looked at her flattered. “I know. I have that power.”

Both of them laughed. Then Josie became serious again. “But you’re right. I mean it’s not because of what happened. I just..I’m okay to live wherever Hope is honestly. For a time New Orleans was my home and despite everything there was just something that made it home.”

“It was always Hope, silly.” 

Josie smiled softly coming to that realization. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

“But would you come back there? Isn’t that place always a threat to you? Or a Mikaelson, for that matter.”

“Whatever threat there might be I’m sure we would still find a way out of it. But for now we’ll just try to be free from whatever family drama might come.” 

“Look at you. Acting and talking like a Mikaelson.” 

Josie blushed for a moment thinking about the possibility of being a Mikaelson just like Keelin was, but that was a long distant dream that she hoped would become true one day. 

Jade looked over Josie’s shoulder and noticed Hope standing behind them, Josie didn’t see her until Jade talked to her.

“Hello Hope.” They shared a smile. “I’ll go get myself another drink.” 

She went back inside while Hope faced Josie who surrounded her waist with her arms. 

“Did Rebekah give you a break?”

“No. I’m hiding.” Josie giggles and kisses her gently. 

“What was that about?” Hope asked her.

“She said I talk and act like a Mikaelson.” 

“Oh yeah? I don’t know if that’s a compliment.”

“It is for me. Your family has always been good to me, I can’t say a bad thing about them.”

“You know..I think it’s safe to say that you are part of the Mikaelsons, Josie.”   
Josie looked at her in surprise and Hope smiled widely. Then she went on. “You’re part of my family, it’s not like we can deny it.”

“And I’m happy to be.” 

“You know what this means, right?” 

Josie smiled softly. “That you’re stuck with me, always and forever.” She surrounded her neck with her arms making Hope smile proudly.

“See? You fit in perfectly.” 

Josie chuckled and closed the distance between them in a long sweet and also passionate kiss. Finally everything seemed to be at its place. They were happy and it felt good. And they wanted so badly to keep it that way.

“Josie?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s um..something I wrote down while you were away. I didn’t know why but now I do.”

She pulled out a paper and handed it to Josie. 

“Norway.” Josie raised her gaze and smiled. 

“The last time it was just astral projection. I feel like it’s not the same if we‘re not actually there.”

“So this is your way of telling me you’re taking me see northern lights?” 

“If you want to.” She smiled softly. 

Josie thought about it for a moment. “And then what?” 

“And then we can go wherever you want to go. And stay.” 

“You don’t mean it.”

“No I don’t. My aunts would follow us to the ends of the earth and bring our asses back here.” Both of them laughed but then Hope went serious again. “But the offer still stands. Maybe in a few years.”

“Yeah, maybe.” 

“But I’m okay with anything. You’re the only thing that really matters.” 

“Oh Hope Mikaelson. You’ve gone so soft, it must be humiliating.”

Hope giggles. “It really is.” 

Josie frowned for a moment feeling something in her pocket. She took out a piece of paper that was not there before, she was sure. 

Her facial expression suddenly changed. Hope studied her confused. “What?” 

Josie opened her mouth almost unable to talk. 

“Um...Penelope is coming home.” 

Hope frowned. “Who’s Penelope?”

“My..ex.” Josie said almost worried of Hope’s reaction. Hope opened her mouth to say something but she only managed to say one thing.

“Oh.”

Suddenly Alaric came outside and walked over them with a concerned look. Both girls looked at him waiting to her what he had to say. 

“We have a problem.” 

Josie rolled her eyes and sighed, feeling almost defeated. “Now what?” 

“The Coven. They want you and Lizzie to merge.”


	30. There’s no other way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I wanted to make a side note before you read since some of you might be confused and i get it. I should’ve said this in the previous chapter but I forgot 🙈
> 
> In this story the entire Coven is still alive because Kai only killed Jo at the wedding and didn’t turn into a vampire, so he’s just his usual self. I just wanted to clarify that. 
> 
> As regarded for the noir world AU, I was thinking of publishing the first chapter if you’re curious? I might publish it anyway tho 🙈 
> 
> I’ll give you THREE more chapters. Don’t thank me <33

“What?! We’re not even 22!”

“I know. But turns out you actually can do it before, it’s just some rule they established in order to give the twins the time to strengthen their power and have a fair battle.” 

“But we’re not doing this, right?” Hope spoke for the first time. Alaric just looked at her without having a clue of what to do next. Hope was now getting impatient and her pupils were dilated with concern.

“Please tell me you have a plan?!” He still didn’t answer. 

Hope put a hand on her hip and another to her head. “Oh my god.” 

“Did mom find anything in her travels?”

“Her travels were pointless. She came back because nothing was working. No witches were of use.” 

“Then I guess we’ll have to make a loophole ourselves.” Hope spitted out almost angry now. She wasn’t really angry at Alaric or Caroline because they probably did their best. She was angry because Josie’s life was at risk again. 

“Why do they even need us to do the merge now?” Josie asks her father.

“Because there’s no real leader of the Coven right now. Kai is trapped in the prison world but they’re still afraid he might come for them eventually and in that case all of us might be at disadvantage. And you and Lizzie are well..the perfect candidates, according to them.”

“Dad..we have to find another way.”

“And we will. But it’s gonna take time and I don’t know if they’ll give us that.” 

“Oh believe me, time is the last thing I’m wasting right now.” Hope stormed inside going God knows where. Josie quickly followed her to stop her and make her listen.

She grabbed her arm to stop her and then held her hands. “Hope, look at me.” 

She did, but she didn’t let her talk. “I know what you’re going to say Josie and this time you have to trust me and let me do this my way.” 

“Why? Why is this time any different from others?”

“Because the Merge is something serious.”

“Don’t you think I know that?”

Hope squeezed her hands and got closer, looking straight into her eyes. “I’m not letting you or Lizzie die for this.”

Josie didn’t say anything. She stayed quiet and then Hope walked away, leaving Josie standing there. Josie sighed and brought a hand to her forehead feeling already the headache kicking in. 

“No Northern lights for now then, I guess.” She told to herself.

“I’m not killing my sister! Or letting her kill me, for that matter.” Lizzie screamed in panic.

She was in the library with Hope, Mg and Alaric, talking strategies and solutions.

“Isn’t here any way to break this tradition?” Mg asked.

“There would be, but it’s not an option.” Alaric said.

“But why should Kai even be a problem for them? He’s locked in the prison world, right?”

“Unless he’s been trying to escape.”

“How would they know?” Hope asked.

“They have their ways.”

Hope’s nerve were tense and her heart was racing fast. She felt like time was running off and her worry for Josie grew only more. She thought that the best thing was to deal herself with the situation. There was no time for strategies and good ways.

-

Josie was sitting right outside the school when Jade joined her. 

“Hey, what are you doing out here all alone?”

“Waiting for the earth to eat me.” 

“Woah. We just got back and you want to disappear again?” 

“The Coven wants me and Lizzie to merge. And we have to find a way to avoid it but it seems to be impossible. And my evil uncle might also be a problem so we have our hands quite full huh?” She sighed heavily and tossed a small stone far away.

“First thing first, calm down. And second, I’m sure we will find a way out of this.”

“We? I don’t even know who ‘we’ is. Apparently I don’t even have a say in this.” 

Jade raised her eyebrows and pressed her lips together. Josie was mad and frustrated, this could only mean one thing. “Are you talking about Hope?” 

Josie kept quiet. So Jade asked another question. “Why don’t you take charge then? I mean it’s about your life, you should be in there.”

Josie sighed heavily and shook her head. “I understand why she acts like this, I do. She’s just as scared as me and..”

“She’s scared of losing the people she loves, Josie. I know. And I know she already lost so much, but this doesn’t mean you have to give her a free card to decide how to save your life.” 

“I know.” 

“So go talk to her. Communication is the first thing for a healthy relationship.”

Josie smiled. “Are you really giving me relationship advices?”

“Of course I am. I’ve upgraded to this new wise me. I’m supporting you now.” 

“That’s reassuring.” 

Jade smiled and put a hand on hers. “Now go.” 

-

When Josie entered Hope’s room, she was surrounded by books she took from the library to know more about the merge. She was so focused that didn’t even raise her gaze to look at her.

“Hey.” Josie said almost nervous. Why was she so nervous? She has never been nervous around her.

Only then Hope raised her eyes to look at her and smiled softly. “Hey.” 

“What are you doing?” She sat down the floor next to her and crossed her legs. 

“Looking for something, anything.” 

“May I suggest something?” 

“What?”

“There would be an easy way to stop this, you know. Like..me drinking vampire blood or..”

“That’s..why would you even want that?”

“Because it would save both of us. Hope..I had dark magic in me. And despite the fact that I died and came back to life my powers are stronger than before.”

“And you’re afraid you could hurt Lizzie.” 

Hope sighed and looked at her in understanding, holding her hand. Josie was almost surprised by the gesture.

“We’ll make sure no one gets hurt. Not Lizzie, not you.”

“Ohh, there’s that ‘we’ again.” Josie smiled with tenderness making Hope giggle.

“Of course. I’m..sorry if I snapped at you before. It was wrong. You should have a say in this.” 

“That’s exactly what Jade said.”

“Oh so now you talk about us with Jade?” 

“She saw me upset and wanted to help. She’s a supporter now.”

“Is she? Is she really?” Hope said a little doubtful, but still playful. 

“Yes, I promise.”

“All right. But still, becoming a vampire is not an option.”

“You just told me I could have a say in this. Let me do this, please?”

“Josie it’s not that simple. You wouldn’t want this if circumstances were different. I know you think it’s the right thing, but it isn’t.” She looked down the floor while her voice lowered into a whisper. “I was about to do the same to save my mom.”

“Hope..”

“It’s okay.” She smiled softly at her and kept silent while Josie looked at her with a sad face. 

“You never talk to me about her or your father.” 

“They would love you for sure.” 

Both of them shared a smile. “Obviously. But that’s not what I meant.”

“I know.” She paused for a moment. “You know, I was ready to sacrifice myself for them, but eventually they did it first and..I couldn’t do anything about it. I mean..I was ready to bind myself and deny my wolf nature to save my mom but it still wouldn’t have been enough. She sacrificed herself in order to save me and..so did my father.”

Josie was still silent and listening carefully. She had known Hope for almost a year now and she never talked so openly about them, although Josie already knew most of those things because of her conversations with Freya, Rebekah and Kol. She knew that this was a big part of Hope’s life and a big part of what made Hope the person she is today.

“I was mad at everyone. I was mad at the world but mostly myself. After all, the prophecy did say I would be the downfall of everyone.”  
She emphasized the last three words. 

“Oh now I’m scared.” Josie made her laugh.

“I miss them. I miss them everyday but I know why they did everything they did. I don’t blame them anymore.” 

“You did before?”

“Yeah..I mean not entirely. But now I get how it feels to want to protect someone you love with your life. It’s not like I want to take decisions for you Josie, it’s...I just want to protect you so bad that I prefer risking my life than putting yours at risk.”

“That’s understandable but still not okay.”

Hope sighed. “What do you want me to do?”

Josie got closer to her. “I want you to kiss me.”

“Be serious.” Hope still smiled.

“I am serious. We still have something unfinished.”

“Josie..” 

“What?? You’re the only one who can claim me? Right now...I’m claiming you.” She whispered on her lips. Josie could say Hope was holding her breath and her eyes were closed, almost giving in at the feeling of Josie’s lips brushing against hers.

Suddenly the door slammed open and Lizzie stormed in nonchalantly. “So, where are we?”

Both Josie and Hope groaned in frustration and Lizzie frowned in confusion. “Lizzie you have to stop doing that!” Josie screamed at her.

“I swear I’m putting a spell on my room.” 

“Jesus, you two are so on edge.”

“No kidding!” Hope spit out irritated making Josie laugh.

“So what are we doing?”

“‘We’ aren’t doing anything!” 

“Hope..calm down now, come on.” Josie put a hand on hers and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Lizzie looked at them and then whispered. “Listen, I’m pretty eager to..you know, be sure I stay alive and I’m not sucked in my sister’s mind or viceversa.”

“Trust me, me too.” Hope said, getting irritated again. Josie tried not to laugh again.

“Okay what is it your problem with me today Mikaelson?!”

“Nothing. Sorry. I’m just...”

“On edge.” Josie said smiling amused.

“Shut up.”

“Anyway, I suggested I could drink vampire blood and just get this over with but Hope thinks I shouldn’t.”

“Do you really want that? I mean you would become a heretic..”

“Well it’s not that I want to but, what other choice do we have?”

“That was the point I was trying to make before. You don’t really want it, you would be sacrificing yourself and who you really are, for a noble cause sure, but you shouldn’t be put in this position.” Hope said.

“Well, sometimes we’re willing even to sacrifice ourselves for the people we love.” Josie said looking at Hope. She knew what she meant and she couldn’t object. 

“It’s me you’re talking about..why are you looking at her?” Lizzie whispered. 

“Lizzie, honey, why don’t you go see if your father came back and has new informations from the Coven?” Hope said a bit cocky. 

“All right. But I’m coming back!” She got up and went to the door.

“Or don’t?!” Hope hummed and kept smiling at her until the door was closed.

“Wow. That was..”

“Shut up.” Hope shut her mouth closing the distance between them and connecting their lips together, causing Josie to gasp in surprise.

She pushed Josie down the floor and placed herself on top of her, already running her hands under her shirt and caressing her bare skin.

“Hope..there’s a bed.”

“We don’t have time for bed.” 

She kept leaving wet kisses on her neck while Josie’s breathing became more heavy. 

“You have vampire speed.”

Hope bit her bottom lip and locked their eyes together. “Not fast enough either.” 

She collapsed their lips together again and quickly took off Josie’s shirt and unbuttoned her bra, tossing it away. Josie did the same to Hope until both of them were only in their panties.

Hope opened her legs to sit on Josie and kiss her passionately while Josie run her hands all over Hope’s exposed back. As Josie felt Hope’s naked body against hers she sunk her nails into her skin, both of them moaning before kissing angrily again.

When Josie broke the kiss to move her lips on Hope’s neck sucking and kissing on it, Hope let out more moans of pleasure, brushing their hips together. Josie cursed and gasped again at the feeling of Hope’s almost naked body fully against her.

“God Josie I..love you.”

“You’ll love me even more after.”

As Josie finished the sentence Hope pushed her down the floor again, but Josie took control and changed positions.   
After a moment both of them where fully naked and pleasuring each other. The room was filled with their moans and whispers, and when both of them had finally reached the peak, the room went silent again. Only the sound of their hearts slowly beating normal again and their breathing steady.

“Josie?”

“Hmhm?”

“You were right, I do love you more now.”

Josie chuckled and kept caressing her arm for a while until she broke the silence again.

“Hope?”

“Hmhm?”

“Can we get up? I’m getting cold laying down here.”

“You’re right. Let’s get up.” 

-

Hope woke up feeling quite good despite the fact that it’s been a week and they still had to find a solution for the merge problem. 

She was walking down the hallway to head to have some breakfast. She was looking for Josie but she was still nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile Hope decided to get some breakfast and found Raf by the kitchen counter making a plate for him.

“Hey Raf. I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I know, sorry. I’ve been out of town for a while. Wanna start training together again?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” She smiled widely. 

“Yeah well I might be a bit scared of you.”

“Why does everyone fear my girlfriend? She’s a baby if you look at her closer.” Josie sneaked up on her hugging her from behind and leaving a sweet kiss on her neck. 

“You heard that.” Hope said to Raf. 

“She’s a baby with a deadly kick though.”

“Okay true. But I’m still nice, right?”

“You’re the best of us Hope, but don’t tell Lizzie I said that.” 

“I will carry this with me forever.” She said playful and flattered with a hand on her chest while Raf walked away with his plate.

Hope turned around to face Josie who was smiling softly at her.

“So, what’s the plan for the day?”

“Today, we’re going to have a little chat with your Coven.”

Josie was now a bit worried. “What? Why? Are you sure it’s a good idea?”

“Yes. It’s time to make more clarity about this merge.” 

“Okay, so..”

“You come with me.”

“Bossy. Okay.” Hope chuckled and grabbed her hand to walk with her outside and leave unnoticed. 

As they opened the main door a raven haired girl with a suitcase was standing on the porch. Hope had no idea who that was, meanwhile Josie’s face fell into shock. 

“Penelope...Hi.”

“Hi Jojo.” She smiled softly and just stared at her for a long moment. Hope stood there silently studying Penelope since she had a look that Hope didn’t like. 

Suddenly Josie recovered from her trance. “Um..Welcome back.”

“Come on let me hug you.” She did close the distance before Josie could have a say and she couldn’t do anything but let her, though she felt Hope’s inquisitive eyes on her. 

“Where are you going? I was hoping we could talk.”

“I have somewhere to be actually but we can talk when I get back.”

“All right.” Then Penelope glanced at the red head girl. “And who are you?”

“Hope.” She faked a smile. No, Hope was definitely not the kinda girlfriend who could stand being around an ex. Or maybe just this one.

“Nice to meet you new girl. Well, I should go find your dad so that I can settle again. I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah. Later.” They shared one last smile and then headed to the car. 

-

The car ride was quite silent for a while, and Josie knew Hope well enough to say that she got jealous. She couldn’t help but smile at herself and Hope noticed, despite the fact that she had her eyes focused on the road.

“What?”

“You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“You’re jealous. You’re being crazy ass jealous girlfriend again. Admit it.”

“I’m not crazy and I’m not jealous.”

“So you’re just an ass.”

“Lizzie would say so. I’d say I just have a great one.” She said smiling proudly.

Josie bursted into laughter. “Yeah, I’d say that too.” Hope smiled.

“But I still think you’re jealous.” 

Hope ignored her this time and stayed focused on the road. “We’re here.” 

-

They knocked at the door of the eldest members of the Coven and an old witch welcomed them. 

“Who am I talking to?” Said the old witch, sitting down her sofa with a tea in her hands.

“She’s Josie Saltzman. She’s one of the twins your Coven wants to merge.”

“Oh yes. You are Josette’s daughter. You look so much like her.” Josie looked down her feet unable to say anything. When someone addressed to her biological mother she always felt this heavy sadness in her chest. Hope glanced at the brunette, aware of the fact that this had upset her. Then she looked back at the witch who was now looking at her.

“You’re the Mikaelson witch.” 

“That’s just a third of who I am, but yes.”

“Oh I know that well. To what do I owe this visit?”

“See, there’s something I need to understand because I’m feeling a little confused.” 

“Speak, please.”

“Why is it that you need the twins to Merge? To strengthen your power? To make sure that your power is not bonded to some psychopath who you wish dead, is that it?” 

The witch smiled amused and kept silent for a moment, then looked at Hope again still with a certain confidence.

“What are you asking me, Miss Mikealson?”

“The Merge is a tradition. Is something that you’ve been repeating for centuries but in the end, you don’t really need it. It’s just something you do to gain full powers. And for that you have to kill your own brother or sister? How can you people live with that?”

“They don’t die. They still live within us.”

“That’s some spiritual shit which I honestly can’t agree with.” 

“That’s too bad Hope Mikaelson, but I don’t think you can come in here and question me like I owe you answers.”

“See, I don’t care why is that you want to make sure you keep your power and carry on your tradition, but know this.” Hope’s face was even more serious and her voice became almost a whisper.   
“If you try to force this for your stupid needs, I’ll make sure I go into that prison world myself, find Kai Parker and make sure he dies before you can have any other leader. So I can solve my problems all at once.” 

Hope got up almost ready to leave. Josie was looking at her a bit shocked and scared about what she was thinking to do. Was that her plan? To find Kai and kill him? There was no way Josie was letting her do that. 

The witch kept glancing at Hope in silence. She tried hard not to look upset but Hope could tell her sudden change of expression. 

“You really are a your father’s daughter.”

Hope felt her anger growing inside of her. She hated when they brought up her father as if it was supposed to insult her.

“People keep saying that to me as if it’s a bad thing.”

“Oh I know for sure it’s a bad thing. I lost people of mine because of your father. And now I’m looking at his rightful heir.”

“Well I lost people too. I lost both him and my mother. And this thing you do here...it’s just wrong. There’s no other way to see it. How is she supposed to fight for her life if she knows she’ll kill her sister? Do you even know what family means?”

“I don’t need a sixteen year old girl teaching me a lesson about family.”

“Fine. Do as you please. But I told you what I’m gonna do if you keep pushing this.” 

“Your threat just gives us a reason more to pursue this, you know.”

Hope chuckled sarcastically. “You’re not laying a finger on them.” 

She walked out the house while Josie quickly followed her. 

“Hope..stop.” She grabbed her arm and turned her around to face her.

“Do you really want to go to the Prison World?”

“It’s the only way to stop them.”

“Hope, they will die. All of them. If you kill Kai..”

“So what, Josie?” 

Josie didn’t know what to say. Hope wouldn’t normally do things like this. She did in the past and Josie knew it, but it was out of rage and pain. Now she seemed aware of what she was doing and she was going to do it in cold blood.

“Can’t we find another way?”

“There’s no other way! I’ve seen people like them. People with beliefs, who don’t care about who lives or who dies unless things are how they want them to be. Or unless people are how they want them to be. So no, Josie, this is the only way.”

She walked away to the car and Josie honestly didn’t know what to think. Maybe Hope was right, but at the same time, it seemed wrong. 

-

When they came back to the school Hope went to her room to get changed before dinner, meanwhile Josie got blocked in the hallway by Penelope. Her eyes went wide as she remembered they had to talk.

“Penelope, hi! I..I didn’t forget. It’s that..I just came back.”

“It’s okay Jojo, I slept the entire afternoon anyway.”

“That’s good I guess.”

Penelope smiled. “How are you?”

“Oh you know...currently trying to stop the merge from happening.”

“Can I help? I wanna help.”

“Oh no it’s..we’re still trying to figure out our next move to be honest.”

“I see.”

She just stared at Josie was a while. This was making Josie totally uncomfortable. 

“I missed you.” 

Yes. It definitely was. Josie looked down at her hands playing nervously and then looked at her again.

“Penny...I think I should tell you that I’m with someone.”

She seemed almost unbothered but surprised at the same time. “Really? Well I guess it’s okay you entertained yourself for a while.”

“It’s..it’s not how you think. It’s serious.”

“Serious? Wait, is she that girl who was with you this morning? She’s the Mikealson?”

“Yes.”

“Mikaelson means problems and sufferings, Josie. Why would you get caught up with her?”

“She saved me. When I had dark magic in me. I died, Penelope. If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t even be here. She’s always been there for me..”

“I would’ve been too if you only let me.”

“I didn’t want to! I was mad at you back then. And then I was struggling with the dark magic..”

“And yet you fell into Hope Mikaelson’s arms. Josie..can it really be compared to us?”

“No it can’t. What I have with her can’t be compared to anyone or anything.”

“Please Jo..” She got dangerously closer keeping her arms crossed on her chest. “You can’t forget what we promised to each other.” 

“Josie? What’s going on?”

Suddenly Josie noticed Hope standing a few feet behind Penelope. She instantly went a few steps back while looking down the floor and then at Hope. 

“Nothing’s going on. Let’s go eat.”

She started to walk away without even look at Penelope one last time, but Hope surely did. Her eyes followed the raven haired girl’s until she decided to finally walk away. Penelope didn’t seem even bothered, not even threatened, and this made Hope even more upset.

While Josie went to pick up her food, Hope sat down next to Lizzie and Rafael and sighed heavily. Lizzie looked at her suspiciously.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“What’s wrong Hope?”

“Your sister’s ex.”

“Oh god. I saw her this morning. I already told her she can take off again.” 

“Josie was so weird around her back there.”

“You had the same reaction about Jade and it was for nothing Hope. Don’t lash out yet.”

“No it’s different. I feel like there’s something I don’t know.”

“If there is, she’ll tell you with time. Don’t pressure her.”

“I’m not. I won’t. But it just...”

“I take it that you can’t control your jealousy Hope.” Raf said while chewing.

Hope sighed and rested her head in her hands. “Please just talk about something else when she’s here. I don’t want to make a scene again.”

“We got your back.” 

-

Luckily dinner was okay and Hope even managed to distract herself with Lizzie’s stories and gossips about the other students. As for Josie, she stopped to talk to Jade while Hope and Lizzie headed to their respective rooms.

Lizzie obviously told Hope to stay calm and get some sleep. She was about to do so when someone knocked on her door and then opened it slowly. It could be only Josie, and in fact it was.

“Hey. I figured you were here.” 

“Yeah I was about to go to bed. I’m tired.”

“Do you want me to stay? I could..hold you?”

Hope sighed and looked down the sheets while Josie was still standing there, aware of whatever was going on in Hope’s mind. She was probably a few moments away from lashing out.

“Hope..”

“Just tell me what it was. Please? I don’t think I can keep faking to be calm like this.” 

“Hope..it doesn’t matter now. It’s in the past.” 

“Fine.” She adjusted her sheets to go to sleep since she wasn’t getting any answer now.

“Okay, okay. We..promised that no matter what happened we would always come back to each other. And now she has.”

“I see that.”

“Hope, it was way before I met you. And things went wrong with her before I came to New Orleans..”

“It’s still a promise, Josie.”

“Yes but I don’t love her. I love you. You, Hope.” 

“She was your first love. And you two made a vow to each other.” 

“That means nothing now! I want you!”

“And I want you, Josie. I really do.” 

Josie sighed and dropped her arms in surrender and looked at Hope almost pleading her to stop this. 

“Then why are we even fighting about this?” 

Hope didn’t answer and was still keeping her gaze off of her. This was just enough to make Josie mad again. 

“Fine. If you wanna keep doing like this, be my guest. I’m going to my room.”

Josie walked out quickly and slammed the door while Hope sat on the bed and sighed heavily. She felt tired, just tired. She wanted to sleep and let it all go. Maybe she didn’t have any reason to react like this, but deep down maybe she had her reasons. She turned off the lights and hid her head under the covers, waiting to finally fall asleep to finally end that awful day.


	31. Your angel of death

The next day both Hope and Josie woke up pretty badly. The events of the previous day still on their minds were upsetting both of them. When Josie went to have breakfast Hope wasn’t there and she figured that she wouldn’t show up at all that day. Josie hated when Hope pushed her away like this and the thought that she had to doubt about her love for her once again was even more upsetting.

“Josie, that’s the third time you clench your fists. Please calm down.” Jade told her with actual concern in her face.

“I’m so..mad, Jade. It’s like I want to explode.”

“Do you need to let it out with magic? I can help you if you want to.” Lizzie offered with an unusual kindness. 

“No I..I just want her to stop doing this.”

“Maybe you should listen to her? Ask her why she has doubts?” 

“I don’t even know where she is. God sometimes she’s such a Mikaelson..”

Jade chuckled. “Well she is.”

“You know what I mean.”

Suddenly Penelope approached the table where the three girls were having their breakfast. 

“Hey, can we talk?” She referred to Josie.

“Now it’s not a good time Penelope.” She sighed heavily. She really didn’t have the patience for this.

“Just a moment Josie.”

“She said no. Are you deaf?” Jade told her with a hint of annoyance. Penelope looked at her with death eyes. 

“And who the hell are you?” 

Josie couldn’t take much of this so she placed her hand on Jade’s and started siphoning her unexpectedly. Then she waved with her other hand and hummed some spell that none of them could hear and suddenly Penelope was gone.

Both Jade and Lizzie were looking at her with her eyes wide open. Lizzie wondered where did she even learn that spell. Then Jade mimed to Lizzie that she would go and find Hope while Lizzie nodded in agreement. Meanwhile Lizzie would try to keep her sister busy and away from unwanted people.

Jade walked around the entire school but was not able to find Hope anywhere. She figured that despite the fact that she could have been busy working on the Merge, she was probably trying to avoid Josie mostly. So she decided to sit down outside her room and wait for her to come back since Josie was now in the city with Lizzie.

After about an hour Hope did come back and was surprised to see Jade sitting outside her room. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Finally. My ass was falling asleep. I need to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“Your girlfriend maybe? She seems like she wants to murder people today. What did you do to her?”

“What did I do? I think you know what happened.”

“Yes Hope, it’s exactly because I know that I don’t get why you got mad at her. She loves you, why do you have to be mad about something she promised in the past? Even promises aren’t forever. They’re meant to be broken. Shit happens.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Jade sighed. “Hope, this doesn’t mean that you can’t trust her. I mean you have to consider the circumstances.” 

“If Josie has something to say to me, she can come and talk to me herself instead of using a messenger.”

“She didn’t send me. Lizzie and I were worried and I thought that the only way to calm her is if you two sort things out. Please stop this? It’s pointless. She loves you.”

Hope looked at her and frowned. “Since when you and I talk like this?”

“Since I happen to like you. And Josie is my friend, I don’t want to see her in pain. She’s a mess without you Hope.”

Hope kept silent and tried to avoid Jade’s pleading gaze. 

“Hope, what is it that you’re scared of?” 

“I really have to get back to this.” She showed her the paper she was holding in her hand and looked away, trying to avoid getting into details.

“Fine. But please, talk to her.” 

Jade walked away while Hope went inside her room. At the same time Alyssa walked past Jade in the direction of Hope’s room. Jade frowned for a moment. Why would Hope and Alyssa see each other or even talk? She decided not to meddle but keep this in mind. 

-

Meanwhile Josie and Lizzie where at the Old Mill doing magic so that Josie could let out her anger. 

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yeah. I mean I’m not feeling murderous anymore, but..sad.”

“That’s still better than murderous. I can deal with sad Josie.”

Josie smiled softly. “I’m sorry about this morning. I tend to lose clarity when Hope makes me mad.”

“I think we all saw that.” 

“Just tell me this. Does she have any reason to worry?” 

Josie thought about it for a moment. “Lizzie..there was a time when I had eyes only for Penelope Park. When I got into all the dark magic thing I was not myself anymore and I took it on her. I blamed her for telling mom and dad and now I’m sorry for that. But now? Honestly I can’t see myself with her.”

“I know. And I know you love Hope, but try to see this from her point of view. She hears about some vow you two made in the past, and if you know anything about her story, you also know that in her family promises and vows are a big thing.” 

Josie sighed heavily. “God. You’re right. It’s just..I still get mad thinking that she might doubt me. After everything we’ve been through.”

“I don’t think she doubts you. She probably doubts herself more. Like she might not be enough. Or the danger it means being with her might lead you to make a different choice eventually. But you can’t blame her for being scared anyway.” 

“I know.” 

-

Later that night Josie thought about going to Hope’s room although she was still mad about the fact that she disappeared the entire day, but she decided to let it go and talk to her. Before she could knock she focused on a voice coming from Hope’s room. It was Alyssa’s voice. And she was casting a spell. 

Why would Hope ask Alyssa for help? 

Just as she knocked and then opened the door without waiting and got inside without the two of them noticing (since Josie was the only one allowed to do that), the room filled with a white light. 

And suddenly Josie was not in Hope’s room anymore. She was outside in the woods, it was night and Hope was there. 

“Josie what are you doing here?!”

“I..I was in your room. Where are we? What’s this?”

“We’re in the Prison World.”

“How are we in the Prison World?! Hope!” 

Josie kept following her but Hope wouldn’t slow down. 

“You should have talked to me about this! You should have told someone!”

“Well I saw that you weren’t very keen on this plan so I figured it was best for me to go through it by myself.”

“There she is. You’re doing it again! You’re shutting me out and trying to be the hero, putting yourself at risk to fight my battles!” 

It looked like a screaming contest. Luckily there were only trees around them.

Hope stopped for a moment to turn around a yell back at her. “This is my battle Josie! It is mine because it’s yours and what‘s yours is mine!” 

Both of them just stared at each other for a few moments breathing heavily. Then Hope shook her head and started walking again while Josie was trying to catch up with her. 

“God you make me so mad!” Josie groaned while Hope kept quiet. “And I’m still waiting for an apology!” Josie yelled again. 

“Seriously?! For what?!”

“For even doubting for a second about me and what I feel about you.”

“I never doubted about that.”

“Then why didn’t you believe me when I told you I want you?!”

“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you.”

“You didn’t say a thing actually! For all I know, right now you might be thinking I’m about to leave you.”

Hope turned around almost with fear in her eyes, her voice almost a whisper. “Are you?”

Josie sighed and shook her head. She should be mad at her for even thinking something like this but she couldn’t. She felt just pain in her chest at the thought that Hope could be scared of Josie ever leaving her. 

“No, Hope. I could never.”

“What about that promise?” 

“Hope..I know you take this things seriously. Not that I don’t, but things are different now. When I made that promise I didn’t know I would fall out of love for her and fall in love again ten times more.”

“As far as I know, the same thing could happen to us.” 

“No Hope, it won’t.” She sighed and looked at her with soft eyes. “We’re in this together, Always and Forever. Don’t you think I know that?” 

Josie could say she had softened and was almost giving up, but Hope’s attention was captured by the creaking of a branch.   
Suddenly she used her vampire speed to move a few trees ahead and grabbed a man by his neck and lifted him against the trunk. He laughed. 

“You must be Kai Parker.” Hope said with a hint of smile. 

“Nice way to introduce ourselves. And you are?” 

“Your angel of death.” 

Hope smiled and threw him a few feet a way crushing him in the ground. She kicked him in the stomach and then grabbed him by his jacket and tossed him in the air and back on the ground. 

He was groaning in pain and losing blood, but kept laughing amused.

“You think it’s funny? Oh well, good for you I guess.” She put her foot on his throat ready to put pressure but Josie stopped her.

“Hope don’t! Please, let’s think this through. Please?” 

“Josie, we talked about this. It’s the only way.”

“No it’s not! This is the easiest and it’s wrong. You know it is.”

“Wait, you’re Josie? I tried to kill you once! No...maybe it was twice.” He said almost with excitement. This made Hope even angrier and put pressure on his throat again, making him choke for a moment.

“Hope!” Josie yelled to get her attention again. Hope looked at her and strangely Josie was just as angry as her. And she never saw Josie this angry with her. 

She decided to let him go. 

“Could I have some of your blood since I’m pretty sure I have two broken ribs?” 

“You’ll live.”

“Hope. Heal him.”

“Are you serious?!”

“Believe me I hate him more than you know but right now I can’t deal with him too.” 

She rolled her eyes annoyed and then bit her wrist to make him drink. He sighed heavily and smiled.

“Thank you very much. And, you know, maybe you should try and talk nicely before you go all violent on people.” 

“Listen, We don’t want anything to do with you. You took my mom’s power and then killed her on her wedding day.”

“You can thank the Coven that you’re still here though! How is your daddy doing? Maybe I should come with and pay a visit?”

“Silencio.” Hope closed her fist in a spell and made him shut his mouth. Josie dropped her arms in surrender and looked at her. 

“What? Do we really need to talk to him?”

“Hope we can’t do this right now. Stop acting like this.”

“Like what?!”

“Like I’m your enemy! I’m trying to put some sense into you!”

“Do you have another plan?!”

“Well..no! But we can’t kill him and every member of the Coven! Why does it seem like you don’t care at all?” 

“Because I only care about you!” She yelled stronger than before, almost with tear in her eyes.

Josie let out a loud sigh. She was looking at her with pleading eyes. “Hope let’s just go. I don’t want you to feel responsible because of these people’s deaths after this.”

“I won’t. I just want..I just want this to be over. I just want you to be safe.”

“Even if you know it’s the wrong way?”

Hope sighed. “Yes.” 

“Can you please do something for me?”

“What?”

“Can we stop this insanity and go home? We’ll find another way Hope. Please.”

She took her time to think and then nodded and broke the spell on Kai. 

“Finally. Can I say my opinion about this now?”

“This isn’t circle time. Your thoughts don’t matter.”

“Ouch. See, for what it’s worth I just want you to know that I really liked your plan. I wouldn’t fight you if you just killed me.”

“Staying here has given you a death wish? You can’t even permanently die in here.” 

“That’s why maybe I have to come with you?” 

“Not a chance.”

Suddenly he used a hand to slam Hope against a tree. She hit her head and went unconscious, and soon after her he started walking over to Josie who was walking backwards and looking at him with anger.

“You can’t play hide and seek anymore Josette.”

“I wasn’t going to. Phasmatos Pyrox Morsinus Illum... Phasmatos Pyrox Morsinus Illum...” 

Kai kneeled down groaning in pain but after a few moments he was able to react and push her on the ground. Josie took a pointed branch and Kai noticed before she could make any further move. 

“You wanna kill me? Be my guest. It’s not like I won’t come back to haunt you, Josie. Maybe I’ll come for your sister too. What’s her name? Leanie? Lily?” 

Josie’s anger grew stronger and the thought of Lizzie possibly getting hurt made her react impulsively, so she sticks the wooden stake to his stomach and he falls dead next to her. 

At the same time Hope woke up and saw what happened. She was surprised that Josie had come to this. But it was self defense so it made sense.

“Josie? Hey.” She kneeled down to take her hand and help her getting up. The brunette looked at her and seemed almost lost.

“It’s okay. He’ll come back. But we have to go before he does.”

“Yeah..okay.” 

They started walking back to where they came from fastest as they could. After Josie had overcome the shock of the moment, she started talking again.

“Okay, I get it why you were ready to kill him and the entire Coven.”

“It’s not the same thing Josie. It was self defense.”

“I could’ve just used magic, Hope.”

But she didn’t. She wanted to hurt him. Because of what he did to her mother.

“You’re good Josie. It shows even now that you’re regretting hurting the person you hate the most. You wouldn’t have done it in other circumstances.”

“I don’t know.” 

They stayed silent for a while until Josie broke the silence again.

“Can we stop fighting now?”

Hope sighed and stopped to look at her with a sad and tired face. Josie had probably the same face, if not close to tears.

“Hope I don’t know what else I have to do to prove you that you’re everything to me.”

“I know.” Hope met her eyes and stared at her with realization and a sorry look. “You don’t ever have to prove something to me, Josie. It’s just..I was scared that you could think about the past and..want to go back there. When you were happy and love was easy and you hadn’t died and miraculously come back to life. And..maybe I was also jealous.” 

Josie laughed nervously. “Really? Now you admit it?” 

“Between everything I said that’s the only part you heard?!”

“You have to stop it. You’re my dream girl Hope, no one can ever replace you.” She said with a tender smile. Hope couldn’t help but smile too and then shook her head.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong with you. You have so little consideration of yourself that you can’t even see the worth you have to me. God Hope you’re...you’re worth every risk, every threat and sacrifice. I can’t even see my life without you in it anymore. I’d rather risk my life next to you than look for safety with anybody else. You’re not just ‘someone’ I fell in love with. You’re stuck deep inside of me, Hope. They would have to tear my heart out to let you go.” She chuckled between tears.

Hope was smiling and crying silently, looking at her with those loving eyes Josie had missed even if it passed just one day.   
One day without Hope was already enough to make her feel empty.

Hope walked closer to her and cupped Josie’s cheeks into her hands, both of them taking a deep breath. The first thing Josie thought was how much she missed her touch. The first thing Hope thought was how much she missed her scent.   
It felt like home.

“I’m sorry for making you mad and crazy.” 

Josie giggles. “It’s gonna take a lot more than some crappy apologies.” 

Hope smiled softly and closed the distance in a sweet and strong needed kiss. Although they really had to get out of there, they couldn’t find the strength to stop. The kiss was gentle and slow and lasted longer than they intended to. 

When finally Hope broke the kiss, she caressed Josie’s lips with her finger and then stared into her eyes. “Was that enough?”

Josie couldn’t even find the words to speak, eventually she did, but barely. “Not quite.” 

Hope felt enchanted by Josie’s gaze. Both of them were so caught up in each other that it was almost dangerous keep staying this close.  
Suddenly Hope remembered about the celestial event. It was time to go.

“We have to hurry.” Hope set up everything they needed and started the incantation to go back.

“Not so fast.” Kai looked at them with a face that Hope knew well. He was hungry. 

“Fuck..” Hope almost whispered.

“Yes. See, you two little fools were so busy with your girlfriends quarrel that you didn’t even notice I was playing you both from the start. She gave me her blood and then I provoked little Josie over here to kill me. Now you can give me lift and we can all go back home. Unfortunately, we’re the only ones in here and I’m..very much hungry.” He started to walk dangerously towards Josie, black veins around his eyes.

“Not a chance. Casso tor.” 

Hope lifted him up in the air while he groaned in rage. 

“You can’t stop me Hope!” He was able to cast a spell on her while he was levitating, making her lose control and he a was back on his feet. He walked towards Josie again. 

“Ignalusa!” 

He was fast enough to freeze the fire with ice with another spell, still moving forward. At that point Josie started to fight him physically and threw a punch at him, which he stopped. Then another in his stomach but only seemed to tickle him, then he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her from the ground.

Before Hope could jump on him he did the same thing to her, but blocked her against a tree unable to move. 

“Don’t fucking touch her!” Hope was never this aggressive if not whenever Josie was in danger. 

“Unfortunately, we’re short on food.” He opened his mouth and let out his teeth and quickly sinked them into Josie’s neck, making her scream with pain while she tried to fight his hold on her.

“Stop! You’ll kill her!” Hope was scared and angry at the same time. She didn’t know how she did it but she freed herself from the spell and casted a big blue ball against him to get him off of Josie. 

She quickly ran to her to see if she was still breathing and fortunately she was still conscious.

“Hope I’m fine..” She saw her neck and chest covered in blood and her anger instantly grew stronger.

“I’m so tired...of people who don’t listen to me.” She used her speed to grab him and hold him by his neck stronger than usual. “When I say not to touch her, you don’t..touch her.”

She aggressively sinked a wooden stake into his heart and killed him, at least for the moment. She went back to Josie and grabbed her hand and the ascendant.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.”


	32. I wanted to give us that

When Hope and Josie got back into Hope’s room, they were surprised to see not only Alyssa, but also Lizzie, Alaric and Jade standing there with a serious and scolding look.

Hope sighed already knowing what was coming. “Before you all freak out..”

“Do you have any idea of the risks you took going to find that monster, Hope? You put not only yourself in danger, you put MY daughter in danger.”

Hope got defensive at that point. “Okay, first of all, Josie wasn’t even supposed to come with me..”

“It was an accident dad.”

“I don’t care what it was! It was reckless and irresponsible. And I know you didn’t leave without a fight because the entire Coven is dead.”

Josie realized that what she wanted to avoid happened anyway because of her. Because she killed Kai the first time, while he had Hope’s blood in his system. 

“What did you do?” He said looking at Hope with an angry face.

“Okay, that’s enough. Hope did nothing. If you have to blame someone blame me. I wanted to stop her but in the end I’m the one who screwed up.”

“Josie..” 

“Hope, no. Shut up. You know, maybe what she wanted to do was wrong and now an entire Coven is dead, but at least now we don’t have to worry about whatever this sick tradition asks of us.”

Everyone kept quiet and then Alaric walked a step forward pointing at Hope. “You..have to go back to New Orleans.”

“What? Dad?!” Both Lizzie and Josie yelled at the same time.

“I don’t care. You can’t do things your way here Hope. There are rules and..and a right way to solve problems!”

“There was no right way of solving this problem!” Josie yelled even louder that the entire room went quiet. “She’s not going anywhere unless you want me to go with her.” 

“I can’t allow you being around..”

“What? Around my family?“ Hope laughed sarcastically. 

He kept quiet because it was exactly what he was about to say. 

“Dad, things are okay now. Please just let it go.” Lizzie almost begged him.

“I’m sorry but I can’t let go.” He looked at Hope showing her all his disappointment. “You’re suspended.” And he walked away before anyone could object.

-

Josie left the room to talk to Jade and then go to her room to shower and wash away that shitty day she just had. The shower was comforting and refreshing but she also couldn’t stop thinking about Hope and how this would affect her and their relationship.

She put her pajamas on careless of who could see her and went to Hope’s room. When she walked in she was laying on the bed and moving her hands in the air like when she does a spell.

“What are you doing?” Josie smiled but looked suspiciously at her.

“Nothing.” She instantly put her hands down her stomach and stared innocently at the brunette.

“I thought you would be packing already.”

“Who tells you I haven’t?” 

Josie gave her a mad look while she sat beside Hope on the bed. Hope smiled.

“I haven’t yet.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s still better than not coming back at all.” 

“Hope..” Josie had her eyes down looking at her hands.

“You have to stay.” 

She instantly raised her gaze to look at Hope and shook her head refusing to let this go. “No..Hope, I just came back to you..”

Hope sat down and caressed Josie’s cheek with a hand and stared at her enchanted. “We’ll find a way. I won’t disappear on you. You’ll always have me.” 

“It’s not the same.”

“Maybe he’ll come around soon. And I’ll be back before you start missing me.” 

Josie chuckled. “Yeah.” She glanced at her lips and kissed her sweetly. “I’ll probably come to sleep in here just to feel you with me.”

“That’s..concerning, you know?” 

Josie chuckled. “Please.” 

Hope stayed silent and kept looking at her in awe of her. “I’m sorry about today. I’m sorry about the way I acted and how I treated you...sometimes I feel like my enemies are right.”

“Hope. We make mistakes, we realize our actions were wrong. This doesn’t make us bad. You’re good. You surely have a temper, but still.” 

Hope smiled amused. “You yelled at me today. You never yelled at me like that. You have a temper too.”

“That was so not me. You make me so mad sometimes and you don’t listen because you’re so stubborn I just..” She sighed. “I just want to open your head and put some sense into it.”

“You’re all I have in my head. Wanna take a look?” 

“Oh my god.” 

Hope bursted into laughter while Josie smiled widely. 

“You didn’t just say that.”

“I did. And, I also did another thing.” 

“Should I be worried?”

“No, but you should lay down.”

“All right.” 

Hope scooched to make her some space so that Josie could lie down next to her. 

“Okay. Now comes the magic.” She snapped her fingers and the lights went off, but there were many small yellow lights enlightening the entire ceiling. 

Josie was looking up with her mouth wide open in amazement, while Hope glanced at her to catch her reaction. 

“Those are...”

“Real fireflies, yes.”

“Hope..this is so beautiful. And peaceful.”

Hope sighed heavily and stopped staring at the small lights too. “Yeah. I wanted to give us that.” 

Josie searched for her hand still keeping her eyes up and intertwined their fingers together. They stayed like that, quiet and enjoying the peace of the moment. Sometimes they broke the silence with quiet whispers, sometimes there was only the sound of their kisses. And they stayed like this, until both of them fell asleep. 

-

The next day Hope woke up pretty early since her bus for New Orleans was leaving soon. Josie was walking her to the bus stop but before they left Hope found everyone waiting for her at the entrance. 

She said goodbye to Mg, Rafael, Lizzie, even Jade. 

“Come back soon, I don’t have anyone to kick my ass during training.”

“I’m pretty sure Lizzie can beat me at it just fine Raf.”

“Thank you Hope.” Lizzie smiled flattered.

Then she stopped to look at Jade not really knowing what to say. But apparently Jade beat her at it. “I won’t get her drunk. I will make sure Penelope doesn’t come across her and if she wants to get in any danger I’ll tell you.” 

“This is so confusing.” Mg said frowning at her statement.

“Good thing you said this in front of me so now I’ll just avoid you as much as I can. You spy.” Josie said to Jade.

“Thank you Jade. I appreciate it.” Hope said nicely. “I’ll see you guys soon.” 

-

After ten minutes they were at the bus stop waiting for the bus to arrive. They were sitting on the bench looking at the street. 

“You know how I feel?” Josie asked her without moving her eyes from the road, while Hope turned her head to look at her.   
“Like I’m about to have my heart removed. It’s like I feel ready to..feel that sense of emptiness in my chest. That’s how it feels when you’re not around.” 

“Oh Josie.” She closed her eyes and sighed heavily. Josie turned to her side to look at her, who then moved her gaze to the brunette. “I love you..so much.”

“I love you too.” 

Suddenly they started to see the bus approaching to the stop, so they got up to say their final goodbye, for now.

“We have to do astral projection everyday. Okay? I’m afraid I could forget your face.” Josie said causing Hope to laugh while trying to hold back the tears. 

“Deal. And can I call you whenever I miss you?” 

“At any time. Even at night.” 

“Okay.” Both of them smiled tenderly. Then Josie jumped on her squeezing Hope in her embrace. She closed her eyes trying hard not to cry of sadness since she didn’t want to make this even more difficult on both of them. Hope was trying to do the same. 

Both of them cried silent tears but kept smiling at each other despite of that. Hope caressed Josie’s cheek and kissed her sweetly, but before she could let go Josie grabbed her shirt and closed the distance again deepening the kiss, her tongue asking for access into Hope’s mouth. It wasn’t until the driver told them it was time to leave that they let each other go. Both of them breathless but feeling whole for one last moment. 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too.” Hope said walking backwards to the bus, her eyes not leaving Josie until she was up and in her seat.

When the bus drove past Josie, she stayed there for a moment, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.   
Not even five seconds later her phone started ringing. She smiled instantly and picked up.

“What?”

“Nothing. I miss you.” 

Josie smiled and chuckled tenderly. “Oh Hope.” 

This was going to be hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> four chapters left. 


	33. A visit from the past

Hope had just arrived in New Orleans after months of living in Mystic Falls and to be honest, it felt good to be back. New Orleans was her home after all, no matter how many bad things happened there, it’s where her best memories are too. 

When she walked into the compound the courtyard was weirdly empty. “Oh so now I don’t even get a welcome back?” She yells so that someone would hear her.

In fact, Freya and Keelin instantly walk outside with a merely concerned face but also trying not to show it. 

“Hope! You’re here. Sorry, we were..dealing with something.” 

“Welcome back baby.” Keelin opened her arms and welcomed her into a hug. 

“Oh my god the belly is growing so much.”

“I know right?! And he kicks day and night. But luckily for him he is the only man allowed to throw kicks at me who I won’t try to fight.” 

“That’s valid.” She giggles. Then she turns her attention to Freya. “Where is everyone?”

“Um...out. Hope, how long are you staying here exactly?”

Se frowned. “I..don’t know. Dr. Saltzman suspended me but I don’t know for how long. Why?”

“Nothing. You know what? We should celebrate. I’ll get Marcel and Rebekah.”

“No wait. What’s going on? Why are you acting so weird?”

“Oh nothing it’s just..you know the baby..”

“Freya.” Keelin looked at her with a nod of understanding. Freya was clearly avoiding the real conversation but it wasn’t something she could keep to herself. 

“What’s going on?” 

“While you were gone...it appears that someone used the dark magic that was in Josie to bring someone else back to life.”

“What..how? And who?” 

“We thought the ancestors had absorbed the power. And they did but..they used it to finish what they started and bring back someone.” Freya paused for a moment. “My father.” 

Hope’s world seemed to stop for a moment. She stayed silent for a while, her eyes staring some indefinite point of the house. 

“Hope..”

“The man who made my father’s life miserable, who tried to kill my mom just in order to kill me before I was even born.” 

“We are trying to deal with it.”

“You are? Didn’t you think I should know about this? What if he showed up in Mystic Falls? What if he..God, what if he tried to hurt Josie?!” 

“He just got back Hope. We weren’t going to keep this from you. I promise.” 

“So what is your plan?” 

“We think that he can still die as any original vampire, so using the stake.“

“Okay, okay. So..did he show up yet?”

“Once, to Rebekah. But..he wasn’t looking for us. He was looking for you.” 

Hope’s face tightened and her hands were close into fists. But her voice was still calm. “Of course he wants to kill me. I’m even worse than my father before his eyes. Okay. I’ll wait for him to introduce himself.”

“You’re not doing anything on your own Hope. He’s..dangerous. And if he’s here to kill you, the only way to stop him is if I talk to him. I was his favorite child and he loved me. I think I might be able to get through to him.”

“And get past his hatred for my dad and what I am? Sure.”

“Just..don’t ever leave the compound on your own. Please.”

Hope agreed against her every impulse but she decided she wouldn’t be reckless this time. Not anymore. She went to her room and unpacked her things, then decided to take a shower before dinner. 

As she got out of the bathroom she got a scare finding Josie into her room sitting on the edge of the bed with one leg crossed on the other. 

“Josie! You can’t do that!” She yelled and sighed heavily trying to calm down.

Josie smiled but also frowned. “Why? It’s nothing I haven’t seen already.”

“You know what I mean, you dirty mind.” Hope let out a smile and walked to her closet to take clean clothes. 

“I wanted to see how you were. Now I’m glad I did.”

Hope giggles. “Stop.”

But this made Josie want to play even more. “You can dress in front of me, I don’t mind. Technically I’m not even here.”

“I don’t think you really want me to.”

“Umm...no actually I’m pretty sure I do.”

“Fine. But don’t blame it on me when you get frustrated because you can’t touch what you see.” She played her even more, which seemed to work since Josie was now looking at her with deadly eyes.

“You’re so mean. Go away.” 

Hope let out a laugh and went to get dressed just to find Josie waiting for her walking around the room. 

“So, how was your day?”

“Well, Lizzie and I are organizing a musical for next week’s school party. And I am singing.”

“You are?! I can’t believe I’m missing it.”

“Well you could be here technically.”

“Maybe I’ll try astral projection.”

“Great. Now how was your day?”

“Oh well..pretty normal. We’re having dinner all together in a few. You should see aunt Keelin’s belly, it’s so big.” 

“You say hi from me to everyone. I’ll try to visit as soon as I can.”

“No you won’t. You stay there. New Orleans has never been good to you.”

“Come on. Neither has Mystic Falls. I keep feeling unsafe because I think that Kai might always be around the corner.”

“You don’t have to worry about Kai.”

“How come?” 

“Because Alyssa and I destroyed the ascendant and the Prison World with it.”

Josie widened her eyes in shock. “You did what?!”

“I wanted to be sure he couldn’t be a danger for you or Lizzie anymore.”

“But why didn’t you say anything? Oh wait! Maybe my dad will let you come back if he knows this or...or at least you can be back sooner.”

“Good luck trying.” She smiled at her.

“I’m still trying.” 

“Hope? Dinner’s ready.” Rebekah entered the room without knocking and smiled as soon as she saw Josie. “Here she is. Hi sweet face.”

Josie smiled back. “Hi Rebekah. How are you?”

“Famished. And then well, usual Mikaelsons drama. You know a thing or two about those.” 

“Yes I do.” 

“Hey, I’ll text you later okay?” Hope said.

“Okay. It was nice seeing you Rebekah.”

“Same way. It’s nice not walking on you two crawling on each other for once.” 

Josie widened her eyes in embarrassment while her cheeks blushed. “..Okay. Bye.” 

And she suddenly disappeared before Hope could even say goodbye. She turned to look at Rebekah with a scolding look and her arms crossed to her chest. 

“What?” Rebekah faked to be innocent about it.

“How many times I’ve told you not to..”

“Make intimate jokes about you two, yes yes. I know. My bad. Now let’s go eat.” 

Hope decided that she was a lost cause and let it go. 

-

The night went by quickly and quietly. The entire city seemed pretty silent, but Hope figured it was because there weren’t much tourists in this period. 

She went out on the balcony of her room to look the city from above. The usual group of vampires was about to quarrel with a witch. Hope hated seeing this every time.

“Hey! Leave her alone before I come down there and make you!” They looked up at her with an annoyed look and started walking away. They knew she was Marcel’s sister and what if she said something had to be done, they had to do so.

Suddenly she felt someone grab her arm with vampire speed and in a second she found herself in a dark and quiet alley. She soon started to lose her calm.

“Who are you!? Show yourself!”

“No need to make others hear you.” A figure in the shadow walked over her and as it was under the light she could see the man standing before her.

“You..you’re him.” Hope doesn’t usually feel scared. Usually she gets angry in front of her enemy. She attacks. Her instinct of survival prevails. But not in this case.

“And you must be the disappointing result of that bastard of your father’s and that filthy wolf of your mother’s.”

“Don’t..talk about my parents.” She felt some hitching pain in her chest as she thought of them.

“Oh I’m sorry, did I touch a nerve?! I should have expected this. You’re weak, just like him. What a disappointing merge you turned out to be.”

“Why are you so mean?”

“Mean?! People don’t really know how to raise children anymore! What did they teach you? To be kind? Merciful? Compassionate? Do you think you can beat your enemies with that? You need strength to do that!”

Hope’s face tightened. She wouldn’t let him torture her like he did to her father. “I am strong.”

“You? You’re devious! Just like your father was. If I just succeeded in killing your mother when I could, we wouldn’t be here discussing about this.”

“Don’t you dare talk about my mother!” She did get angry in the end. And she pushed him away with a spell making him slam against the building next to them. He was almost amused.

“So pathetic. Your family even sacrificed their lives to save you countless time. They should’ve known better than that.” 

“You haunted your children all your life. What kind of father does that?” Hope’s voice was shaking trying to hold tears and trying not to show herself vulnerable.

“They protected that monster all their lives. That..stupid vow! Look where it brought them!” He laughed amused. “They are both dead. All because of you.” 

Hope’s fists were now even tighter. She was reaching the edge.

“You shouldn’t even exist.” He said before disappearing into the night. 

Hope’s mind was spiraling from one thing to the other. From the thought of her parents to her own existence and everything that was lost in the process of always saving her. She felt the air missing from her lungs and was shaking as she started to panic. She tried to calm down before going back to the compound so that no one would ask her questions.


	34. We would never give up on you

Hope was sitting on the couch in the courtyard of the compound writing down in her journal, but her writing was erratic and confusing. Since Mikael showed up three nights ago she couldn’t think clearly, she couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t eat.

She was trying very hard not to let his words get through to her but it was easier said than done. She was on alert all day every day and as much as she wanted to invest her energy into anger, she could only feel overwhelmed. The thought of her parents haunting her more than ever, again. 

“Hope?” Freya brought her back from her thoughts and caught her attention while showing her a map.

“We have a lead.” 

“Where?”

“A cabin, in the woods. Davina actually happens to know where it is. I won’t tell you why.” 

“Okay.” She wasn’t so eager to face the threat like other times was. She looked numb and Freya noticed. 

“Hope..maybe you should stay here.”

“What? No.”

“You’ve not been yourself since the night he showed up and talked to you. Maybe it’s best if I go talk to him.”

“No, I’m fine. We have to go.”

In that same moment Hope’s phone started ringing. She took it out of her pocket and saw Josie’s name on the screen. She closed her eyes and sighed, then put the phone back into her pocket.  
Freya saw it.

“Hope, did you tell her?”

“What do you think?”

“It’s not fair Hope, you know it.”

“I know. But she would come here in a heartbeat and I don’t want her near New Orleans...or me.”

Truthfully she did. But she didn’t want to be that selfish to put her in danger. She didn’t even know how she managed to lie to Josie for three days straight. She felt awful but she also felt like she didn’t have a choice. 

When Hope, Freya and Davina arrived to the cabin, Mikael was nowhere to be seen. Hope couldn’t feel anything in the ray of the woods. Not a sound, not a scent. They thought that the location might have been a trick, or maybe he was there but left before they could get to him. 

-

When they came back home Hope stayed into her room for hours, painting her feelings on canvas in silence. Freya walked in quietly and knocked on the door already open. 

“Hey. Could I..stay here for a bit?”

Hope smiled sadly at her and nodded. Freya sat down next to her and watched her paint.

“I’m so sorry you had to sent aunt Keelin away, aunt Freya.” 

“Me too. But it’s for the best. She..can’t be here right now. I used to believe my father loved me but...his hate for species who aren’t just vampires is something I can’t control. And I can’t let anything happen to them. Or you.” 

Hope smiled sadly. “You’ve been trying to save me since I was a baby. I really hope you get tired of it one day.” 

Freya frowned. “Why should I?”

“Because I’m the reason everyone dies in this family. And it would be nice if someone stopped fighting for me so hard.”

“Hope, don’t ever think that, please. We would fight for you no matter what, just like you’d do for us.”

“I didn’t do so well for uncle Kol.”

Freya sighed and looked at her with sad eyes, but Hope kept her gaze on the painting.

“Tell me. Would you ever give up on us?”

“Of course not.”

“That’s the same thing for us. We would never give up on you.”

Hope smiled sadly and rested her head on Freya’s shoulder and both of them stayed like that way for a while. 

-

Three days later Josie was about to perform in front of the whole school and the only thing on her mind was to find a way to kill both Jade and Lizzie who put her up to this. 

She was watching the boys performing and it was quite fun to watch. She was almost enchanted by their moves and rhythm, so much that she didn’t even notice someone was next to her.

“Hello beautiful.” 

She turned to her side as her smile grew even wider when she saw Hope smiling softly at her. 

“You’re here!”

“Of course I am. V.I.P. pass, see?” She said showing her a real pass she must have made with magic.

“You’re a piece of work.” Josie smiled tenderly.

Suddenly the crowd started clapping and Josie knew this was her queue. She took a deep breath and shook her hands to let the tension go. 

“Josie?” 

She glanced at Hope again who had the most loving eyes she’s ever seen. “You got this. I’ll be right in front of you.” 

Josie smiled and leaned in to kiss her but then remembered that they couldn’t and groaned in frustration. “I love you.” She said and then she quickly got on stage while Hope went into the crowd. 

“Well, sometimes I go out by myself  
And I look across the water  
And I think of all the things of what you're doing  
In my head I paint a picture

Since I've come home  
Well, my body's been a mess  
And I miss your ginger hair  
And the way you like to dress  
Oh, won't you come on over?  
Stop making a fool out of me  
Why don't you come on over, Valerie?

Valerie

Did you have to go to jail?  
Put your house out up for sale?  
Did you get a good lawyer?  
I hope you didn't catch a tan,  
Hope you find the right girl  
Who'll fix it for you” 

Hope chuckled while Josie looked at her changing the lyrics of the song. She couldn’t keep her eyes off of her, she wasn’t even paying attention to the dancers around her.

“Are you shopping anywhere?  
Change the color of your hair  
And are you busy?  
Did you have to pay that fine  
That you were dodging all the time?  
Are you still dizzy?

Since I've come home  
Well, my body's been a mess  
And I miss your ginger hair  
And the way you like to dress  
Oh, won't you come on over?  
Stop making a fool out of me

Why don't you come on over, Valerie?

Valerie”

Suddenly Hope noticed Penelope walking past her and to get ahead and take a better look while sipping her drink.  
Hope looked at her suspiciously. Or one could also say murderously. 

Luckily for Penelope she couldn’t do much since she wasn’t actually there. Just when she was letting the thought go, Jade showed up next to her.

“Jade!” 

She turned to her side scared. “Hope! You scared me! What are you doing here?”

“Oh I’m not really here. I’m astral projecting.“

“How sweet.”

“How’s everything going in my absence?”

“Thankfully we’re not falling apart. Josie seems okay. I think she still misses you sometimes and it shows, but she manages.”

She sighed. She hated the thought of Josie being sad because of her. Even more the thought of not being able to cheer her up or hold her whenever she needed.

Both Jade and Hope glanced over at Penelope who was now staring at them with an angry look.  
“What does she have to look at? She’s lucky I can’t really do anything right now.” Hope hummed between her lips with anger. 

“Forget her. She’s leaving again.”

“Thank God. I can’t stand her.“

“You couldn’t stand me either and now look at us.”

“Well you have a nice face. She doesn’t.”

“Aww. Thanks.”

Hope rolled her eyes and smiled while Josie had just finished the song. Hope projected herself backstage again to meet Josie. 

“You were a star.”

“Really?”

“The brightest.” 

“Oh my god I want to kiss you so bad right now.” Josie pleaded with a puppy face but also frustrated because she couldn’t touch Hope. 

“How’s going your plan to convince your dad?”

“I’m working on it. I’m focusing all my energies on that.”

“I really hope not.” She chuckled and kept staring at her for a while until she realized it was time to go.

“I should go. Enjoy the rest of the night, okay?”

“I’ll try.” 

They shared one last smile and then Hope disappeared. 

When she opened her eyes and looked around her room she sighed and abandoned herself on the bed. She really would’ve wanted Josie with her right now. She wanted this to be over. She wanted all the threats and the pain to stop. She just wanted everything to be okay for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last two chapters tomorrow!! 
> 
> And I’ll probably publish the first chapter of the new hosie noir world AU ;)


	35. Still our miracle baby

Hope was walking in the quarter with Rebekah to go buy some things Freya needed and the city was practically chaos because of Mardi Gras.

“I keep telling them you’re so much like me but they won’t accept it. I would’ve totally killed the entire Coven, maybe not going right to the source but still.” 

“It was wrong, auntie Bex. And I realized it too late.”

“Well then you solved a problem unintentionally.”

“Sure.”

“Did you talk to your girlfriend anyway?”

“I talk to her every day.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

She rolled her eyes. “Would you all just stop?! I don’t want her to jump on a bus and come here. We both know she would.”

“Then we kick her out.” 

“You’re unbelievable.” 

Rebekah smiled as if it was a compliment. As they got back to the compound and Hope was walking down the courtyard, a voice coming from behind the pillar scared her.

“Hello beautiful.” 

Josie was right there, her shoulder rested against the pillar. 

“Why..don’t you just warn me when you do that?” Hope said with her hand on her chest. 

“I can’t help it. It’s too much fun scaring you.”

“Oh well, I’m glad you’re enjoying this.”

She walked to seat on the couch by the coffee table and Josie did the same.

“You’re so happy it’s creeping me out.” Hope glanced at her suspiciously while Josie still smiled widely.

“My dad agreed to let you come back.”

Hope tried hard to show her she was happy, not that she wasn’t. Probably she would be in different circumstances, but not right now. Right now she had to face Mikael.

“Really?”

“Yes. I put in a good word for you. You know, being the girlfriend of the headmaster’s daughter has its privileges.”

“I wouldn’t really say so.” She chuckled. 

“It doesn’t matter now. We’ve been pretty good at this long distance relationship thing...don’t you think?” Josie said getting dangerously closer to Hope and staring right into her eyes.

“Yes. We’re doing great. Especially you.”

“Oh I know. I’m on top of the world...” Her voice lowered in a whisper while she got more close to Hope’s lips and Hope’s breath felt trapped in her throat for a moment. 

But despite the fact that she was distracted by Josie’s lips being in such close proximity, Hope adverted something different.

“I..why am I feeling your breath over me?”

“Maybe because I’m too real?” Josie kept her gaze on her while her hand run down to touch Hope’s exposed thigh. Hope shivered at the touch and the feeling of warm of Josie’s hand. She was really touching her. 

“You’re here. You’re..actually here. Oh my god.” 

Hope stopped thinking and just collapsed their lips together in an urgent and passionate kiss, her hands all over Josie’s face and body. She was real and she was holding and kissing her after two weeks. It seemed like forever and it felt so good that she forgot about any danger that could be in her corner. 

“I missed this.” Josie whispered out of breath.

“Why are you here? Does your dad know?”

“Yes, I’m here to take you back to the school actually. He gave me permission.”

“You’re crazy to come back here. You could’ve just called me.”

“I wanted to make it big.” She smiled almost satisfied for having succeeded in her intentions.

Freya walked into the courtyard at the same moment and saw Josie and Hope holding hands. Her eyes widened instantly.

“Josie. You’re..here.”

“I am.” She smiled widely while both Freya and Hope shared a weird look that Josie noticed.

“What’s wrong? Bad time?”

“Well um...”

“There’s..something I need to tell you.” Hope said. “Come with me.” 

Hope walked with Josie into her room and closed the door. She went quiet for a while and walked nervously around the room while Josie kept staring at her in confusion, but still giving her the time she needed. Although she was starting to get worried. What could be so bad that she was so scared to talk about it? 

“Hope? What’s going on? Is this about us? Because if it is..I swear I’m going to fight you so bad..” 

Hope finally looked at her as if she had just started listening. She frowned. “What?! No! Why would you think that?”

“Then what is it?” She looked at her with pleading eyes as her voice went softer. She really wanted her to open up. “Talk to me. Please?”

Hope finally sat down next to her and looked right into her eyes, determined to just spit it all out. “Mikael, let’s say my..grandfather is here. And he..probably wants to kill me. I mean who doesn’t? But anyway, he’s dangerous and unpredictable, he..says things about my dad..” 

“Hope. Wait, slow down. Breathe.”

Hope closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she opened them again and met Josie’s soft look still on her, patiently waiting. Hope felt her breath stuck again and her chest tight. Josie was the most precious thing she’d ever seen. 

“Josie..you have to go back.” She said closing her eyes, since she couldn’t look at the reaction of the brunette. She knew she wasn’t going to take it well.

“Of course you want to send me away. Didn’t we already had this conversation?” She said clearly a bit irritated, because Hope always did that. 

“Josie I can’t risk you being here. He’s dangerous. He would think of anything in order to trick me. Just..please. Do it for me.” 

“Oh Hope you know I would do anything for you. But leaving you is not part of those things.”

“You’re not leaving me. You’re just going home where I know you’ll be safe.”

“What about you?” She looked at her with a pained look, as if she was trying not to cry at the thought of Hope being in danger or hurt. “What about your safety?” She pointed at her as her voice was more shaky. 

“I can look after myself. But if it makes you feel better, my family is going to help.”

“Okay. First, I can look after myself too. So there’s no reason for me to just leave you here. Second, I thought that your family also included me.”

“Of course it includes you too baby...”

Josie got up with her hands in the air and now was even more agitated. “No. Huh huh, you can’t call me baby for the first time while we’re having a fight. I thought we agreed no nicknames?!”

“Does this really matter right now?” Hope was confused but also couldn’t help but smile softly, although she tried not to since Josie was seriously upset. 

“Yes! Don’t call me baby just to soften me, Hope Andrea Mikaelson. You’re not buying me and I’m staying here. End of discussion.”

“Please don’t ever use my full name again.”

“I can and I will use everything I have in my power to fight you whenever you try to push me away.” 

Hope looked at her with pleading eyes, she felt so lost and powerless for the first time and she didn’t know how to go through with this because it was all very emotional for her. This wasn’t some fight that could just cause physical pain. This was hurting her in the inside. She felt like crying. Josie sat down next to her again and took her hands in hers. 

“That’s how I wanted you to look at me. Like you need me to go through with this. Not like -I have to protect you so I’m just gonna leave you out of it- look.” 

A tear fell down Hope’s cheek as she nodded slightly. Josie wiped it off and kept looking at her with tenderness. 

“I’m always going to worry about you, Hope. And I’m always going to be by your side no matter how great the danger is. As much as you try to avoid it, we’re a team. And I’m going to fight for you just as much as you always fight for me. I will burn the entire city to the ground if necessary.” 

Hope was smiling widely between tears now and giggled softly. “You’re by far the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

“Of course I am. Thank you for acknowledging that.” She bowed her head gracefully, making Hope giggle. 

Later that night Hope and Freya were trying to locate Mikael once again while Josie was in the courtyard training with Rebekah. 

“Did you really agree to let her stay?” Freya asked her while they were setting everything up to perform the spell.

“She made me agree to it.” She smiled softly.

“She’s though. She takes it from you.” 

“I don’t think so. It’s just part of who she is.” 

Freya smiled and then both of them got ready to perform the spell. They closed their eyes and intertwined their arms together and held their hands. 

Some flashes appeared to them of Mikael holding the stake and walking rapidly into the darkness of the woods. 

When they opened their eyes both of them winced and looked at each other with concern. 

“Do you think he’s coming here?”

“I don’t know..”

“We can’t let him come here.”

Hope was starting to get agitated and Freya could tell that for the first time in a while she seemed terrified. She took her hands to calm her down.

“Hope? Listen to me. It’s going to be okay. I promise.” 

Hope adverted some steps coming from the courtyard other than Josie’s and Rebekah’s and she instantly went down with her speed, her nerves suddenly back to normal. 

Josie and Rebekah didn’t know what was going on but as they saw Mikael outside the compound, they knew. 

“I see you were expecting me.” He said with a mischievous smile. 

“I’d rather be doing something else right now.” Hope said with her nerves tense.

“Too bad.”

“Let’s take this somewhere else. Shall we?” Hope used her speed and disappeared in a split second with Mikael, leaving Josie and Rebekah standing there clueless.

“Hope! Where did she go?” Josie said turning to Rebekah.

“She didn’t want him to come in.” Rebekah walked to exit the compound but she bumped into a barrier spell that wouldn’t let her go past it. 

“Seriously?! Freya!” 

Freya got outside just in that moment even more agitated than them. “I didn’t know. She put the compound to her name and did a spell to trap us in here, to keep us from going after her.” 

“Well too bad she forgot her girlfriend is a siphoner.” Josie said walking towards the barrier. She leaned her hands ahead and started siphoning the magic. 

“The fact that you’re brave enough to fight alone doesn’t erase the fact that you’re just as pathetic as your father.” Mikael said with disdain.

“You never knew my father. You hated him because in truth he was stronger than you. Although he did horrible things in his lifetime, he loved his family. The man I knew was capable of forgiveness and was good. You know nothing about it.”

“Family?! The one he repeatedly daggered and locked in a coffin? You’re delusional. That, you call family?! Your father was no good. He was an abomination. He was damaged. And he broke you too. That’s how great of a father he was.” 

Hope used her speed to get near him and punch him hard in the stomach. He fell on the ground laughing and quickly stood up again, grabbed Hope by her neck and tossed her away, but she still managed to land with her feet on the ground. 

She attacked him again slipping on the ground, making him fall on his back. Then she grabbed his hair and slammed his head repeatedly with all the anger she was feeling. 

Then he pushed her away making her bump hard against the wall which shattered into pieces as she hit it.

“You’re even worse than him. Look at yourself, you’re damaged and weak just like he was. The love..for their little girl, that’s what killed them both. Haven’t you realized it? Loving someone like you is a death sentence. You should be gone already.” 

Hope was shaking with both anger and pain. She didn’t want to give in to his words, but this was everything she always thought about herself deep down. And it was hard not to believe. 

As he raised his arm to slap her he groaned in pain and kneeled down looking angrily at the witch coming towards them. 

“You should be too technically, but here we are.” Josie said while she tightened her fist to choke him with a spell. 

“Josie what are you doing here..” Hope said out of breath while she tried to get up, her body aching.

Mikael managed to overcome even the pain inducing spell and run to Josie, holding her wrists tight in his hands while he looked at her with his eyes full of rage. 

“Stupid witch. Do I need to show you how useless it is to even waist your energy fighting for that monster?!”

“You’re the monster.” He raised is hand to slap her but he was stopped by a pointed wooden branch that sinked right into the palm of his hand. 

He screamed and let his hold on Josie to take the wooden out but Hope was already up on his back with both of her arms around his neck. 

“If you touch her, I’ll be just faster enough to kill you.” She whispered with anger to his ear.

Instead of freeing himself from her grip on him he used the same stake sticked into his hand to hit her on the leg and stick it into her. He took advantage of Hope’s surprise and pain to make her fall on the ground and then threw a kick on her stomach. 

“You...disgust me. Don’t you ever get tired of looking at yourself?! Don’t you ever want to get it over with and go to your mommy and daddy?! Of course you do. That’s why you have this hero complex. Luckily for you, I’ll make your wishes come true.” 

He threw another kick at her. Meanwhile Josie bent him down again and this made him even angrier. So he turned his attention to her again and walked over her rapidly, but before he could do anything Freya arrived.

“Dad?! Stop this.” 

His eyes moved from Josie to Freya and even his expression changed. He wasn’t that angry as he had been until a moment before. His face softened a bit. 

“Oh, my sweet Freya.”

“I won’t let you hurt her. She’s my family and she doesn’t deserve to inherit your hatred for Klaus.”

“She’s even worse than that bastard. Look at her!” 

“I’m so sick of this.” Hope used her speed to get to him but he grabbed her by her wrist without even turn around to see her coming at him and threw her against the wall. 

But Hope didn’t stop there and looked for something sharp to hurt him. She didn’t found it but she grabbed a long iron stick and split it in two with all her strength. Then she threw the two sticks into the air, sticking one into his shoulder and the other into his stomach, attaching his body into the wall. 

“You think that using my dad to break me will work? He was more of a father you ever was to all of your children. You only thought them violence and fear, to be merciless, but in spite of that, they always tried to do better. They..tried so much, to be better than you. And to me? They all were. They still are.” 

Hope walked closer looking at him with the same disdain he showed to her. “You think I’m so weak, but I could crash you in a split second if I wanted to.” 

“But you don’t. Because you’re a coward. You want to be good. You don’t want to fall in the cycle of violence in which your father was. But you are. It’s your devious nature. You could never be good enough.” He emphasized the last two words and bursted into laughter. 

“Don’t you realize at this point that you’re just as devious as me? I feel bad for you.” Hope said looking at him with pity. 

“Don’t. Because I won’t feel bad after this.” He grabbed Hope by her arms and closed the distance between them, sticking the iron stick into her stomach. 

Hope’s breath got stuck in her chest for a moment, unable to even scream in pain, just the blood running down her mouth. 

“No!” Both Josie and Freya screamed while Josie pulled Hope out, her abdomen fully covered in blood. Meanwhile Freya paralyzed Mikael with a spell and put herself between him and Hope who was laying on Josie’s lap. 

“Hope?” Josie looked at her with fear in her eyes for a moment. 

“I’m okay..I’ll heal. Help me.” Josie helped her to get up while Freya was still trying to talk to Mikael and failing.

“You were good to me. You were a good father. Why couldn’t you be the same with all my brothers?” Freya’s voice was shaking and silent tears were running down her cheeks. 

“I couldn’t be a father to you..and I wanted to. I just couldn’t be that for them.” He said almost without a hint of emotion. 

Suddenly Hope was next to him again, her eyes emotionless and her face apparently relaxed. She looked at him for a while before Freya could move and let her deal with him, still paralyzed.

“You’ve been wrong all your life, you know?” She paused for a moment. “Family is power. Being strong on your own doesn’t make you almighty. And love doesn’t make me weak. It makes me want to destroy you even more, because you’re a threat to me and everyone I love. My dad lived in fear of you all his life, but in this we’re different. I won’t run away.” 

She paused again and got even closer to his face, her voice almost a whisper. 

“Tell me, who is the last person that sticked this into your heart?” 

She looked at the white oak stake in her hands and then back at him with a satisfied smirk on her face, while Mikael’s anger was now silent, he was trapped. There was nothing he could do.

“Oh, right. My father.” Her smile grew more while she pointed the stake to his heart. “I guess him and I are not that weak when it comes to beat you.” 

She sticked the stake into his chest and right into his heart, then walked a few steps back while Mikael just gasped and groaned feeling the fire burning him from the inside, his eyes moved to look at Freya one last time before he was completely covered in flames. 

-

Josie walked into Hope’s room with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. She was laying to her left side and giving her back to Josie who walked over her quietly and saw her eyes fixed into the void, staring outside the open balcony. 

“Hey. I thought you could use some chocolate.” She said in the softest voice.

“Maybe later.” Hope almost whispered.

Josie placed the cup on the nightstand and sighed lightly. She looked at her with tenderness but she was also sad because she knew Hope was in so much emotional pain right now. And she would do anything to take it away from her if she only could. 

She moved a strand of hair behind Hope’s ear and places her hand gently on her cheek, caressing her. Hope seems to find comfort into her touch. She closes her eyes for a moment and everything seems good. But then the pain to her stomach comes back again. 

“I know this is going to take a while. But if you want to talk I’m here for you.”

Hope stayed silent for a while before she decided to say something. “I believed to every word he said. I thought..he was right about so many things. And I know..I know it’s wrong. That no one believes that but I..I did. Maybe I do.”

“Hope, everything he said..that wasn’t true. You’re by far the most beautiful creature in this world. Your powerful nature won’t ever be a good enough reason to believe you’re a monster.”

“It’s not that. I..always felt responsible, Josie. For everything. I don’t think I’ll never stop feeling like that.”

“Remember when you told me about that dream you had when you were dead for a moment? About your mom? She told you she forgave you. And that she wasn’t dead because of you. She was at peace because of you.” 

Hope started crying silently remembering that. It felt so real to her that at some point she started to believe it was. But she still couldn’t stop missing her mom. She couldn’t stop wanting to be with her and share her life with her. 

“I believe your dad is too. Because you gave it to them. You brought them happiness and..unconditional love.” She smiled softly, still caressing her cheek wet with tears. “You just have to find your peace now. And stop thinking that your existence is a mistake, because despite the fact that we all might be willing to risk our lives for you, you’re not a burden to carry. You’re still our miracle baby.” She emphasized the last word in order to make her smile. And she did. 

She wipes off a tear from her face and sniffles. “A baby, huh?” 

Josie chuckled. “My beautiful baby.” She pinches her cheek making her laugh. Then they just stare at each other for a while until Hope speaks again.

“Do you think we can take a vacation after all of this?”

“Oh I seriously hope so. Just cloak both of us and let’s go. Please.” She begged. Then she started leaving soft kisses all over Hope’s face, then rested their foreheads together. 

“You’re my miracle. You know that?” Hope whispered softly, making Josie smile.

“I love you.” 

“I love you too.”


	36. A perfect day

Hope woke up before Josie, still sleeping peacefully next to her. Her arm rested around Hope’s stomach. Hope couldn’t hold the smile escaping her lips at the feeling of Josie next to her. She missed sharing these moments with her all these weeks. 

She started thinking about everything that happened and led them to that very moment. Many bad things for sure, but also many sweet moments. No matter the danger they sticked together after all. 

Maybe Hope was at fault since she was probably the one who always sabotaged herself or even their happiness, but she was glad that Josie never gave up on her. Not just the times she was in danger. She never gave up on her even when things got messy and hard between them. Not even when Hope pushed her away just to protect her. 

Hope felt like she owed her something. Maybe everything. But she wanted to make her feel special, because she was. More than she knew. 

Hope gets up slowly trying not to wake Josie and sits in front of a blank canvas, picks up her brushes and starts writing something. 

-

Two hours later, when Josie finally wakes up, the sun is already up and warming the morning air. It took a while to adjust her eyes to the sunlight and as first thing she looked around her to find Hope, but she wasn’t there. 

She was confused for a moment, partially because she was still waiting for her brain to fully wake up, partially because she wondered where Hope was. And suddenly her eyes fell on the canvas to the side of the room. She was now fully awake reading curiously what was written on it. 

_“How do you feel about living a perfect day?”_

Josie smiled softly but noticed that there were two boxes for yes or no. So she got up and took a brush to check on yes. 

Suddenly she turned around to see a blue plaid skirt and a yellow blouse that left half of her arms uncovered. She smiled but didn’t really know why the choice of outfit. She figured she would ask her once she saw her. 

She got dressed and fixed her hair and as she opened the door she saw a note hanging just outside the door. 

_“Where it all began.”_

Josie smiled widely and at that point she knew where to find Hope. She left the compound and walked a few minutes in the quarter until she arrived at the corner that led to the café where Hope took her the first day she came in New Orleans. 

And there she was, with her shoulder rested against the wall just around the corner. She was wearing blue jeans, a simple black shirt and her leather jacket. Her red hair long on her shoulders. 

She was already smiling at her from afar and when they finally were face to face Josie couldn’t help but steal her a sweet kiss. 

“Good morning.”

“What’s all this?” Josie asked her still curious about this whole thing planned.

“Do you remember the first day you came here?”

“Yes. We sat at this café and started talking.” Josie said while Hope walked her to her seat and then took a seat in front of her.

“Yes. In case you were wondering, this is the same outfit you had on that day.” She pointed at Josie. She was kind of surprised she even remembered that.

“How do you..”

“How can I forget the first time I ever saw you, Josie?” She asked her almost as the answer was obvious. Josie’s heart softened even more. 

“But what about this perfect day?” She placed her arms on the table and leaned forward to look closely at her, showing herself interested in knowing.

“Well. I wanted to go back to the first day we met for a moment, but end it in a different way. For now, we’re here. But we’re not worried about the dark magic, about witches and psychos trying to kill you. Or me. We’re just us. Two girls at a corner café.” 

“Who knew you had this in you, Hope Mikaelson.”

“I don’t. I’m probably high and I’m gonna regret this soon.” 

Josie laughed wholeheartedly. “No you won’t.”

Hope smiled softly and stopped staring at the brunette with loving eyes. “No. I won’t.” She said with the softest voice possible. Josie felt her whole self melt in front of so much love. She wasn’t used to this. 

Of course she was used to Hope being loving, caring, affectionate, soft and sweet. But never like this. She was probably very high, Josie thought.

“Can I show you something?” 

“Oh no. The first time you wanted to show me something you took me to a cemetery.”

Hope chuckled. “No I won’t take you there. I mean I want to show you my memories.”

“Oh. Yes, I guess we can do that.”

Hope smiled softly and leaned her hands to Josie, placing one hand on her neck and the other on her between her jaw and around her ear, both of them closed their eyes. 

-

_Hope was on the couch in the courtyard of the compound writing something on her journal. Her writing was chaotic and she changed and cut so many words and thoughts that there was almost nothing left. She decided to throw away the page and start over._

_She tried to clear her head and took a deep breath. Then she started over._

_“Dear Josie,  
it’s been three months since I last saw you and I haven’t heard from you. Which is fine. However, I don’t know if to be grateful that you’re keeping your distance or sad because you actually listened to me. Does it make sense?  
I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this. I guess I just miss you and being apart from you has been like a living hell. I’m not doing better, but I really wish I was. More than that, I wish you were here. But I don’t want to put this on you. You don’t deserve it. I’m sorry if I never said goodbye, but I couldn’t. If I did, we both wouldn’t have been able to let go. You would’ve started crying and I would’ve cried too. And if I started crying then, I wouldn’t have been able to stop.  
I love you, Josie. Despite everything I did to wash away the thought of you, I can’t. You’re in my head, always.  
I don’t know if you ever think of me, but I just want you to know that I do. Every second of every day, of every week, of every month that I’m without you._

_Yours,  
Hope.” _

She rips the page and folds it in her hands, she holds it to her mouth and whispers a spell. When she opens her hands the page is gone.

-

Josie opened her eyes and Hope could almost see pain and confusion without her even saying anything. 

“You..you did try to reach me.” She said with her voice shaking.

“I did.”

“But I never got that letter.”

“I know. I just..I immediately regretted it and asked Lizzie to burn it. And I made her promise to never tell you.” 

She was even more upset now. She didn’t want to be. But at the same time she couldn’t help but think that maybe they could have been together way before then. 

“But why? Hope we could have spared each other months of pain and..”

“I was struggling, Josie. And when I wrote that letter I was..in a bad place. And if it got to you, I would’ve just dragged you back where I didn’t want you to be. Sending you away would have been for nothing. I couldn’t have lived with myself if something ever happened to you by my hand.”

“I still think you could’ve never hurt me.” 

“You don’t really know that.” 

Josie looked down at her hands playing together. She was thoughtful. Then she looked at Hope again. 

“It’s good to know I tortured you anyway.” She smiled softly.

“Oh yeah, as if my suffering wasn’t bad enough.” 

Josie chuckled and intertwined her fingers together. 

“You know, I did try to run off to New Orleans once.”

“You did?!”

“Yes. Actually I was..pretty drunk. As I was most of the time back then. And I walked to the bus stop, at three in the morning, with just a bag and my phone.”

“Please tell me that someone found you?”

“Lizzie did. Jade couldn’t find me anywhere so she went to call her and Lizzie tracked me and found me there. And when she asked me what was I thinking I said your name.” 

Hope almost cried thinking about Josie all by herself in the dark, drunk and in an empty road. 

“I told her that you needed me and I needed you.”

“You know..It took me a while to accept the fact that I couldn’t always keep you from hurting. Or protect you from all the threats that came in our way. I hated myself every time I pushed you away.”

“Then we make a vow. Besides Always and Forever.” She took Hope’s hands in hers and stared right into her ocean eyes. 

“You don’t push me away, and if you try, I never allow you to. You can even put me on a plane, Hope Mikaelson, but it’ll never work. So just get over it. You’re stuck.” 

Hope laughed wholeheartedly and nodded in understanding. “We can do that, okay.” 

“Good.”

“Now come with me.”

“Where are you taking me now?” 

“To dance to jazz music.”

“Oh god.”

So Hope took her to Rousseau’s where she played a jazz music record and dragged Josie to dance with her, ignoring the eyes on them. They danced care free for maybe an hour, just holding each other and spinning each other around until both of them felt so light that now it was their heads that were spinning.

“Hope, give me a break.”

“Already?! You’re not even drunk. You should be unstoppable.”

“I’m a basic witch, I’m not like you.”

Hope leaned closer to Josie who was sitting on the chair, whispering on her lips. “You’re not a basic witch. You’re my girlfriend, my partner, my love. You..” She pointed at her with her finger pressing Josie’s chest. “are, by extension, the most powerful being on earth.” 

“By extension huh? Where’s my super speed then?” 

Hope suddenly held her in her arms and in a split second they were out in the street again. Hope opened her arms and looked at her in fake-shock. 

“Josie?! What have you done?”

“You’re such a cliché. I knew you would do something like that.” She couldn’t help laughing though.

“Me?! A cliché would be asking you to marry me, which...I won’t do.” 

Josie widened her eyes for a moment. “You must be really..really high today. You’re starting to worry me.”

“There’s no need. Now we have one last place to go. But I need to cover your eyes.”

“Oh I knew there was something off with you.” 

“I’m not doing anything. Just trust me.”

“I do trust you. Usually.”

“Usually?!”

Josie giggles. “Come on just blindfold me.”

And so she did. After not long, actually after a few seconds, Hope took her to the third place with her speed. 

“We’re here.”

“Already? Huh. Can I take this off?”

“Yes you can.”

She uncovered her eyes to open them and see that they were back in Hope’s room.

“I don’t understand. The third place is..your room?” She was a bit confused but then she felt enlightened all of the sudden. “Ohh, it’s a metaphor. I get it. Because here is where the magic happens.” She got closer holding Hope’s jacket in her hands to keep her body closer. Hope bursted into laughter and shook her head.

“You have no shame.” 

“Why should I?” She winked and Hope still shook her head, defeated. How could she not love her. 

“It’s not really about that. The third place is hidden here, somewhere..”

Both of them got dangerously closer as Hope was starting to play with Josie’s blouse collar.

“You know when you said today that you wouldn’t leave me even if I put you on a plane?”

“Hmhm?” Josie hummed to let her know she was interested, although her attention was now on Hope’s body, since she had taken off her leather Jacket and was now staring at her, but still glancing at her from time to time while she was talking.

“Josie, pay attention.”

“I am paying attention. I am..paying very much attention..” She said not very convincing while trying to look at her and not somewhere else. Hope raised her eyebrow as to say ‘really?’ and Josie’s words seemed to get stuck in her throat.

“I..I am looking..respectfully. At you.” 

Hope smiled widely. “Sure. And um..since you’re looking at me ‘respectfully’, I need you to find something I lost.”

“Okay um..where?”

Hope just looked at her waiting for her to understand what she meant to say. She licked her lips and then pressed them together, waiting patiently for Josie to react. 

“Oh. All right then...I’ll tell you when I’ve found it.” 

She surrounded her waist and started kissing down her neck. Her hands wondering on Hope’s back and then her butt. Hope gasped under her touch while her hands wondered under Josie’s blouse.  
Soon Josie did the same while she moved from Hope’s neck and leaned to Hope’s lips, first biting her bottom lip and then leaving a hot kiss, almost sucking it, just to provoke her. 

Hope was so caught up in what Josie had just done that almost didn’t notice Josie’s hands wondered under her shirt, instantly stopping on the button of her jeans. 

“Huh, found it.” She unbuttoned Hope’s jeans and pulled the zipper down, still keeping her eyes fixed with Hope’s, who was clearly not paying attention to the fact that Josie had just found the two tickets she had hidden under her shirt. 

Josie takes them to look what was that about and suddenly her expression changes. She’s incredulous.

“These are..two tickets to Norway.” 

Hope smiled softly. “They are indeed.”

“Wha..oh my god Hope here says the flight is today?!” 

“Why are you panicking? We’re still in time.”

“No I mean you’re taking me to Norway today! Without notice! You..oh my god my heart hurts.” 

“What do you mean your heart hurts?” 

Hope placed a hand on Josie’s chest, seriously worried, while Josie Just smiled and shook her head. 

“Can I die from too much love? Because right now I’m feeling too much.”

Hope laughed and hit her. “You scared me.” 

“Sorry baby.” She surrounded her waist and started kissing her all over her face.

“Please don’t.” 

“Don’t what, baby baby?”

“Josie!” Both of them started laughing until they stopped to stare at each other.

“So..we have a plane to catch.”

“We do.” 

“Then let’s not waist anymore time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END.
> 
> Without even realizing it I put so much fluff in this last chapter that makes me cry. 
> 
> I really hope you liked this story. Than you so much for everyone who read it and has come until the end. <33 
> 
> Though I’m not done! I have just published the first chapter of the noir world fanfic. So go check it out!! It won’t be long but I promise to make it good. 
> 
> SEE YA ON THE OTHER SIDE (if you want to)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello my lovelies <333 
> 
> I’m back with a new story. This time a bit different since it’s actually linked to the shows. It’s the first time I actually try to kinda follow a possible storyline (?), including the use of magic, spells, fight against enemies etc. But I was rewatching The Originals and this connection kinda hit me and I was curious to mix the two storylines together and also change it a bit.
> 
> I don’t know how long the story will be since it’s still a work in progress, but I hope it’s up to your expectations as always. Let me know what you think about it. Enjoy the first chapters <33


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